Index of Vintage Dinosaur Books
and other vintage books on prehistoric animals


Revised 2/4/11 (sorry for my long break): Added descriptions to World a Million Years Ago, The Vertebrate Story, and Paper Dinosaurs.  Also added two new queries to Do You Recognize This Book?.
Revised 2/13/11: Added entries for In the Time of the Dinosaurs (1963); The Principles of Historical Geology (1954); and Life Through the Ages (1946).  Added answer to query number 5 (see Do You Recognize This Book?).
Revised 2/19/11: Added descriptions to In the Time of the Dinoaurs, and The Principals of Historical Geology.
Revised 2/20/11: Added description to Life Through the Ages.
Revised 2/27/11: Added entries for Animals of the Past (1962), and And Then Came Man, 1963.  Added new query (number 7) to  Do You Recognize This Book?.
Revised 3/12/11: Added descriptions to Animals of the Past (1962) and And Then Came Man.  Also added entries for The Biography of Mother Earth (1931); Cold-Blooded Vertebrates (1934); Fossil Amphibians and Reptiles (1954); and Dinosaurs (1972).

Do you recognize this book?  Click here for more info.

1890's
Extinct Monsters: 1892, by Rev. H. N. Hutchinson; ill. J. Smit and others.
Creatures of Other Days: 1896, by Rev. H. N. Hutchinson; ill. by J. Smit and others.
Ages Ago: 1896, by E. Carrington; illustrated by Harrison Weir and others.

1900's
Animals of the Past: 1900, by Frederic A. Lucas; ill. by Charles R. Knight and James M. Gleeson.
Nebula to Man: 1905, by Henry Knipe; ill. by J. Smit, Alice B. Woodward, Charles Whymper, and others.
Extinct Animals: 1909 (new edition--original edition published in 1905), by E. Ray Lankester; uncredited illustrations.

1910's
Extinct Monsters and Creatures of other Days; 1910; ill. by J. Smit and others.
Evolution in the Past: 1912, by Henry R. Knipe; ill. by Alice B. Woodward and Ernest Bucknall.
Mighty Animals: 1912, by Jenny Irene Mix; ill. by Charles R. Knight, Clement B. Davis, and others.
Mentor: Prehistoric Animal Life, The: 1917, by William Diller Matthew; ill. by Charles R. Knight.
Origin and Evolution of Life: 1918, by Henry Fairfield Osborn; ill. by Richard Deckert, Charles R. Knight, and others.

1920's
Stories of the First American Animals: 1923, by Geogre Langford; ill. by Ty Mahon.
World in the Past, The: 1926, by B. Webster Smith; ill. by W. J. Stokoe.
Earth for Sam, The: 1929, by W. Maxwell Reed; ill. by various artists.

1930's
Tales of the First Animals: 1930, by Edith B. Walker; ill. by Jane Banning Bartley.
Parade of the Living: 1930, by John Hodgdon Bradley, Jr.
Biography of Mother Earth, The: 1931, by Henry Smith Williams; uncredited illustrations.
World a Million Years Ago, The: 1933, by Leon Morgon; ill. by Arbo.
Cold Blooded Vertebrates: 1934 (maybe 1930), by Samuel F. Hildebrand, Charles W. Gilmore, and Doris M. Cochran; contains illustrations byv arious artists.
Dinosaurs, The: 1934; by W,E. Swinton; photos of dinosaur models sculpted by Vernon Edwards.
Sinclair Dinosaur Book, The: 1934, by unknown author, but revision of manuscript by Barnum Brown; ill. by James E. Allen
Before the Dawn of History: 1934, by Charles R. Knight; ill. by author.
Book of Prehistoric Animals, The: 1935, by Raymond L. Ditmars; ill. Helene Carter.
Parade of Ancient Animals, A: 1936, by Harald O. Whitnall; ill. by H. C. Millard.
Life Long Ago: 1937, by Carroll Lane Fenton; ill. by James E. Allen and Carroll Lane Fenton.
Animals on the March: 1937, by W. Maxwell Reed and Jannette M. Lucas; ill. by Charles R. Knight, Margaret Flinsch, F. L. Jaques, and others.
Ancient Animals: 1938, by W. W. Robinson; ill. by Irene B. Robinson.
Prehistoric Life: 1939, by Percy E. Raymond; ill. by Edward A. Schmitz, and others.
Das Reich der Tiere: 1939, by Othenio Abel; ill. by Franz Roubal, Othenio Abel, Charles R. Knight, and many others.

1940's
When the World was Young: 1941, by Martha McBride Morrel; ill. by R. E. Falconer.
Earth Before Man, The: 1941 (first edition 1938), by Raymond E. Janssen; ill. by S. W. Williston, C. R. Knight, and others.
Life Through the Ages: 1942, by Bertha Morris Parker; ill. by Frederick Seyfarth.
Dinosaur Book, The: 1945, by Edwin H. Colbert; ill. by John C. Germann and others.
So Long Ago: 1946, by E. Boyd Smith; ill. by author.
Life Through the Ages: 1946: By Charles R. Knight.  Ill. by author.
Strange Prehistoric Animals and their Stories: 1948, by A. Hyatt Verrill; ill. by author.

1950's
Prehistoric America: 1951, by Anne Terry White; ill. by Aldren Watson.
Strange Story of Our Earth, The: 1952, by Hyatt Verrill; ill. by author.
Animals of Yesterday: 1952 (first edition 1941), by Bertha Morris Parker; ill. by Frederick Seyfarth.
All About Dinosaurs: 1953, by Roy Chapman Andrews; ill. by Thomas W. Voter.
America Before Man: 1953, By Elizabeth Chesley Baity; ill. by C.B. Falls, also includes ilustrations by C. R. Knight, F. L. Jaques, and others.
Golden Play Book of Animals of the Past Stamps, The: 1954, by Rose Wyler and Gerald Ames; ill. by Matthew Kalmenoff and Robert Gartland.
First Book of Prehistoric Animals, The: 1954, by Alice Dickenson; ill. by Helene Carter.
Prehistoric Life, National Audobon Society: 1954, by Bryan Patterson; contains illustrations by Charles R. Knight and others.
Dinosaurs: 1954, by Herbert S. Zim; ill. by James Gordon Irving.
Prehistoric World: 1954, by Carroll Lane Fenton; ill. by James E. Allen and Carroll Lane Fenton.
Fossil Amphibians and Reptiles: 1954, by W.E. Swinton, ill. by Marice Wilson and D. E. Woodall,
Dinosaurs: 1955, by Marie Halun Bloch; ill. by George F. Mason.
Prehistoric Animals: 1956, by Jane Werner Watson; ill. by Rudolph F. Zallinger and James Lewicki.
Prehistoric Animals: 1956; ill. by Zdenek Burian (this page also includes images and descriptions from other books that contain Burian's paleoart).
Prehistoric Animals: 1956, by William E. Scheele; ill. by author.
Child's Book of Prehistoric Animals, A: 1956, Bruno Frost.
Real Book about Prehistoric Life, The: 1957, by Dorothy Shuttlesworth; Illustrated by Matthew Kalmenoff.
Age of Reptiles, The: 1958, by Dorothy Shuttlesworth; ill. by Matthew Kalmenoff.
Millions of Years Ago: 1958, By Edwin H. Colbert; ill. by Margaret Matthew Colbert.
In the Days of the Dinosaurs: 1959, by Roy Chapman Andrews; ill. by Jean Zallinger.
Dinosaurs, A Little Golden Book: 1959, by Jane Werner Watson; ill. by William de J. Rutherford.
Vertebrate Story, The: 1959, by Alfred Sherwood Romer; contains illustrations by various artists.
Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals: 1959, by Darlene Geis; ill. by R.F. Peterson.

1960's
Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Reptiles: 1960, by Jane Werner Watson; ill. by Rudolph F. Zallinger.
Discovering Dinosaurs: 1960, by Glenn O. Blough; ill. by Gustav Schrotter.
Digging for Dinosaurs: 1960 and 1967 (revised edition), by Edwin H. Colbert and William A. Burns; ill. by various artists.
Earth for Sam, The: 1960 (revised edition), by W. Maxwell Reed; ill. by various artists.
How and Why Wonder Book of Dinosaurs, The: 1960, by Darlene Geis; ill. by Kenyon Shannon.
Animals of the Past: 1961, by Richard Ogle; ill. by author.
World of Dinosaurs, The: 1961, by Edwin H. Colbert; ill. by George Geygan
Wonderful World of Prehistoric Animals, The: 1961, by William E. Swinton; ill. by Maurice Wilson and others.
Dinosaurs: Their Discovery and Their World: 1961, by Edwin H. Colbert; ill. by various artists.
Prehistoric Life on Earth: 1961, by Kai Petersen (edited, adapted, and supplemented by Georg Zappler); ill. by Verner Hancke.
Fossils: An Introduction to Prehistoric Life: 1962, by William H. Matthews; ill by various artisits.
Dinosaurs (Saalfield Science Series): 1962, by John J. Stephens III; ill. by Bette Davis.
Fossils: A Guide to Prehistoric Life: 1962, by F. H. T. Rhodes, H. S. Zim, and P. R. Shaffer; ill. by Raymond Perlman.
And Then Came Man: 1963, by Hartmut Bastian; ill. by Gerhard Boden, F. P. von Zglinicki, and others.
Exciting World of Dinosaurs, The: 1963, by John Raymond; ill. by Sol Kirby, Jane Carson, and John Raymond.
Dinosaurs of the Earth: 1963, by John Raymond; ill. by Sol Kirby, Jane Carson, and John Raymond.
Dinosaurs: 1963, by Nicholas Hotton III; ill. by various artists and photographs of models.
Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, The: 1963, by Anthony Ravielli; ill. by author.
Dinosaurs: A Junior Golden Guide: 1963 (first edition, 1960), by Brenda Biram; ill. by Rudolf F. Zallinger.
In the Time of the Dinosaurs: 1963, by William Wise; ill. by Lewis Zachs.
Strange World of Dinosaurs, The: 1964, by John H. Ostrom; ill. by Joseph Sibal.
Exciting World of Dinosaurs, The: 1964, by unknown author; ill. by Matthew Kalmenoff.
Age of Reptiles, The: 1965, by Edwin H. Colbert; ill. by Margaret Matthew Colbert.
Animals of Long Ago: 1965, by Raymond Jones; ill. by Hamilton Greene.
Dinosaurs of Canada: 1965, by W. E. Swinton; ill. by Paul Geraghty.
Dinosaurs and More Dinosaurs: 1965, by M. Jean Craig; ill. by George Solonevich.
Giants: Past and Present: 1966, by W. E. Swinton; contains illustrations by Neave Parker and Maurice Wilson.
Wonders of Prehistoric Life, The: 1966, by Donald Barr, Darlene Geis, and Martin Keen; ill. by various artists.
Dinosaurs: 1967 (first edition, 1962), by W. E. Swinton; ill. by Neave Parker.
Age of Dinosaurs, The: 1968, by Bjorn Kurten; uncredited illustrations.
Day of the Dinosaur, The: 1968, by L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp; ill. by various artists.

1970's
Prehistoric Animals: 1970, by Barry Cox; uncredited illustrations.
Dinosaurs, The: 1970, by W.E. Swinton; ill. by Neave Parker.
Dinosaurs: 1972, by Kathryn Jackson; ill. by Jay H. Matternes.
Life Before Man: 1972, by the Editors of Time-Life books; ill. various artists.
Other old books or textbooks with vintage dinosaur illustrations.

On the Trail of Ancient Man: 1926, by Roy Chapman Andrews; one illustration by E. Rungius Fulda.
Universal History of the World: 1927?, edited by J.A. Hammerton; ill by various artists.
Principles of Historical Geology: 1954, by J. Willis Stovall and Howard E Brown; ill. by various authors.

Other more recent books that explore vintage dinosaur books or artwork, or that contain vintage illustrations of dinosaurs.

Dinosaur Scrapbook, The: 1980, by Donald F. Glut.
Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Cavemen: The Art of Charles R. Knight: 1982, by Sylvia Massey Czerkas and Donald F. Glut.
Dinosaurs: an Illustrated History: 1983, Edwin H. Colbert.
Dinosaurs Past and Present: Volumes one and two: 1987, edited by Sylvia J. Czerkas and Everett C. Olson.
Paper Dinosaurs: 1824-1969: 1996, Prepared by Bruce Bradley.
Paleoimagery: The Evolution of Dinosaurs in Art: 2002, by Allen A. Debus and Diane E. Debus.
History of Paleontology Illustration, A: 2008, by Jane P. Davidson.
Links to other sites of interest (I am just starting this list--I will add a few links every few weeks or so).

Web page devoted to the works of paleoartist Dan Varner. Dan Varner focuses on prehistoric marine reptiles.  His stuff, in my opinion, is right up there with the best of the paleoartists.
Paper Dinosaurs . As explained on the website: Paper Dinosaurs is an exhibition of original printed materials related to the history of dinosaur discovery
Early Images.   As the website explains, this is "a collection of illustrations from popular sources published prior to 1923."  You must visit this site!
Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs.  This blog contains information concerning recent developments in dinosaur paleontology.  Every week or so the author posts examples of vintage dinosaur illustrations from a variety of paleoartists.  Very nice site.
Web page devoted to the works of Charles R. Knight.

Other illustrations

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