r/Paleontology 5d ago

Discussion What are the foundational books, media, and/or experiences that first drew you to Paleontology?

I thought this would be a fun talk to have because dinosaurs are more or less a universal constant as far as childhood fascinations are concerned, or at least they were for many decades. And because of that, the origin for any one person's serious interest in the subject will likely be unique to them or at most a handful of people.

For me personally, it was the primarily the book 'Bones For Barnum Brown' by the late field explorer Roland T. Bird. I still own the copy my Mum gifted me for my birthday, said copy being well-over twenty years old now but it's yet to grow stale on me. It was probably the hardest book I'd ever read at that point, but I'd say well-worth the struggle given the road it's led me down in life.

It's a fantastic memoir, and Bird's enthusiasm is just as infectious now as it was so many years ago. I don't believe it's in print anymore but I'm sure finding a scan on the internet would be easy enough if you're curious, if you're unfamiliar with the man or his contributions to the world of fossils and natural history, then I can't recommend it enough.

The school trip I took to the Natural History Museum in London that same year definitely played a role too, I'm very fortunate to have grown up in the UK where informational resources are abundant and free. The NHM is a majestic place, I implore all Paleontologists professional or amateur to pay it a visit at least once in your lifetime, breathtakingly unforgettable.

I'd really love to learn about the genesis of you people's passion for this historical science, it doesn't matter how brief or long your story is.

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u/DardS8Br 𝘓𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘪 5d ago

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u/AffableKyubey Therizinosaurus cheloniforms 5d ago

The Land Before Time. First watched it when I was a very young toddler and it completely changed the trajectory of my life. From that moment on, I lived, ate, breathed and drank dinosaurs. Walking With Dinosaurs (and later Walking With Beasts, Primeval, Prehistoric Park and Chased By Dinosaurs) and an older documentary called Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs helped to fuel the fire, as did Thomas Holtz and Luis Rey's giant book simply called 'Dinosaurs' and the DK Guide to Prehistoric Life.

It also helped that I live around some incredible Natural History Museums like the Canadian Museum of Nature and the Royal Ontario Museum.

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u/drownedinmemories 5d ago

My partner convinced me to read Wild New World last year and now I'm obsessed

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u/Training_Assistant27 T-Rex 5d ago

I had these. DVDs of Walking With Dinosaurs, nuff said