Discovering Dinosaurs: In the American Museum of Natural History

This is a superb guide to the renovated Hall of Dinosaurs, opening June 2 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The authors, museum curators, introduce the collections, which are not arranged (as usual) by geologic time but by shared characteristics, a system known as cladastics. The authors discuss the evolutionary relationships of dinosaurs and list a phylogenetic classification, which includes modern birds. A section of questions and answers ranging in topic from such physical characteristics as size, skin and teeth to preparation and assembly of specimens prepares us for the exhibits that follow. Here are descriptions of 41 dinosaurs, plus their tracks and eggs. The final section describes five museum expeditions. Handsomely illustrated by 167 photos and maps, some in color, this volume takes us into a new world of dinosaurs. (May)