Those who perhaps have had only a fleeting association with any form of vertebrate palaeontology should not be dissuaded by the title of this book. Thomson carefully uses the initial discoveries of the massive fossil bones from the saline springs of Big Bone Lick, Kentucky in the 1750s to begin the chronology of many of the major North American vertebrate fossil finds up until the late 1890s. These were the bones which were only later referred to as those of the Mastodon (Mammut americanum). The resultant timeline not only charts the development of this branch of palaeontology in the fledgling American West, but introduces some key historic figures in the context of their expeditionary travels, institutional affiliations (or otherwise) and their inter-relationships (friends, foes, buyers and sellers). With far fewer active proponents of the science then than now, the boundaries between adherents of vertebrate and invertebrate palaeontology and palaeobotany were not nearly as proscriptive. Of course this did not prevent monumental rivalries between some competing figures, keen to make and retain their name with their scientific discoveries. Consequently, over half the book is given over to the detailing of the expeditions, rivalries and eventual feuds of the dinosaur hunters Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh.

From the various taxa named by, or in honour of palaeontologists, we often gain a hint of their relative importance in their own time, their particular areas of expertise or their defining moments of discovery. Hence this book provides valuable back story to such historic figures as Dr Edward Hitchcock (arguably one of the Fathers of Ichnology), the explorer Ferdinand Hayden and others including Joseph Leidy, trained physician turned palaeontologist on the advice of Charles Lyell. Illustrations are sparingly used throughout the text, but the 16 pages of archival photographs located near the centre of the book provide a welcome means of matching names to the faces of the main players. A point of specific interest to stratigraphers and invertebrate palaeontologists is the mention of the first New York State Palaeontologist, James Hall. His two former assistants, Fielding Bradford Meek and Amos Henry Worthen, went on to greater things themselves. Meek accompanied Hayden on his travels to the Dakota Bad Lands, whilst Worthen was appointed Illinois State Geologist in 1858. Meek and Worthen were later to collaborate on the identification and description of many new plants and animals from the famed Pennsylvanian fossil localities of Mazon Creek, Illinois.

This book also holds many interesting little gems of information which although written almost as asides provide the reader pause for reflection. For example, presented with the fact that the then Third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, used the East Room of the White House for laying out the assembled finds from Big Bone Lick by William Clark (of Lewis and Clark expeditionary fame) makes one consider what could be achieved by such an enlightened attitude in such high and influential places nowadays. Similarly the early policy of the Union Pacific railways to provide free passage or freight haulage to the fossil hunters and half fares to the scientists no doubt did their business no end of good in terms of publicity and advertising, as well as literally advancing the discoveries and associated science. The westward push of settlers opened up new areas of exploration and fossil discovery and this was never more so apparent than with the expansion of the American railways network in the 1870s. This expansion led to, and also fuelled, a boom in the exploitative industries concerned with the discovery and development of sources of economic minerals.

Through enjoyable story-telling backed by thoroughly researched material, extensively footnoted chapter by chapter at the end of the book, Thomson successfully brings the world and lives of the well known and undeservedly not so well known early American fossil-hunters vividly to life.