annieb123's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Secret Life of Bones is a new popular science treatise on all things bone and skeletal by natural history writer (and paleontologist) Brian Switek. Released 8th Aug 2019 by Prelude books, it's available in paperback format. It's unclear from the publishing info available online, but the eARC I received also has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
The book itself is split into 10 chapters plus an erudite and entertaining introduction, each containing an anecdote and history around which framework the stories are woven. Covered in the book are Grover Krantz (famous anthropologist and proponent of bigfoot as real), the undying rivalry between Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, the discovery of English king Richard III buried under a car park lo, these 550 years since, and confidently identified through the magic of DNA analysis, along with several others.
This is a wildly entertaining book, scientifically accurate and layman accessible. I really enjoyed reading about some of the methods used by modern anthropologists and paleontologists along with the scientific background involved. This would make a really good read for fans of natural history.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Secret Life of Bones is a new popular science treatise on all things bone and skeletal by natural history writer (and paleontologist) Brian Switek. Released 8th Aug 2019 by Prelude books, it's available in paperback format. It's unclear from the publishing info available online, but the eARC I received also has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
The book itself is split into 10 chapters plus an erudite and entertaining introduction, each containing an anecdote and history around which framework the stories are woven. Covered in the book are Grover Krantz (famous anthropologist and proponent of bigfoot as real), the undying rivalry between Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, the discovery of English king Richard III buried under a car park lo, these 550 years since, and confidently identified through the magic of DNA analysis, along with several others.
This is a wildly entertaining book, scientifically accurate and layman accessible. I really enjoyed reading about some of the methods used by modern anthropologists and paleontologists along with the scientific background involved. This would make a really good read for fans of natural history.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
rj6578's review against another edition
4.0
I was hoping this would be more about how bones are made and regrow. However, learning the history and other facts was just as good.
85838384's review against another edition
5.0
‘The entire paleontological discipline is based on resurrecting the extinct, if only in our minds.’
‘A skull is a death’s-head, reminding us of what awaits us all. “As I am now, so will you be. As you are now, so once was I.”’
‘After all, we are not seperate from nature but an especially unusual manifestation of it.’
brittneyhm's review against another edition
5.0
I started reading this and quickly put it down after the first chapter or so... I recently picked it back up and got sucked in.
Overall, it’s the story of bone. What it can tell us, what we have learned and how we have studied it throughout history and also how we treat our dead. The author did a really great job of throwing in high level dark tea
Overall, it’s the story of bone. What it can tell us, what we have learned and how we have studied it throughout history and also how we treat our dead. The author did a really great job of throwing in high level dark tea
themosquitoqueer's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0