{"product_id":"the-dinosaur-artist-obsession-science-and-the-global-quest-for-fossils-9780316382519","title":"The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Science, and the Global Quest for Fossils","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn this 2018 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003eNotable Book, \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ePaige Williams \"does for fossils what Susan Orlean did for orchids\" (Book Riot) in her account of one Florida man's attempt to sell a dinosaur skeleton from Mongolia--a story \"steeped in natural history, human nature, commerce, crime, science, and politics\" (Rebecca Skloot).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In 2012, a New York auction catalogue boasted an unusual offering: \"a superb Tyrannosaurus skeleton.\" In fact, Lot 49135 consisted of a nearly complete \u003ci\u003eT. bataar\u003c\/i\u003e, a close cousin to the most famous animal that ever lived. The fossils now on display in a Manhattan event space had been unearthed in Mongolia, more than 6,000 miles away. At eight-feet high and 24 feet long, the specimen was spectacular, and when the gavel sounded the winning bid was over $1 million. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Eric Prokopi, a thirty-eight-year-old Floridian, was the man who had brought this extraordinary skeleton to market. A onetime swimmer who spent his teenage years diving for shark teeth, Prokopi's singular obsession with fossils fueled a thriving business hunting, preparing, and selling specimens, to clients ranging from natural history museums to avid private collectors like actor Leonardo DiCaprio. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But there was a problem. This time, facing financial strain, had Prokopi gone too far? As the \u003ci\u003eT. bataar\u003c\/i\u003e went to auction, a network of paleontologists alerted the government of Mongolia to the eye-catching lot. As an international custody battle ensued, Prokopi watched as his own world unraveled. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the tradition of \u003ci\u003eThe Orchid Thief\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Dinosaur Artist\u003c\/i\u003e is a stunning work of narrative journalism about humans' relationship with natural history and a seemingly intractable conflict between science and commerce. A story that stretches from Florida's Land O' Lakes to the Gobi Desert, \u003ci\u003eThe Dinosaur Artist\u003c\/i\u003e illuminates the history of fossil collecting--a murky, sometimes risky business, populated by eccentrics and obsessives, where the lines between poacher and hunter, collector and smuggler, enthusiast and opportunist, can easily blur. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In her first book, Paige Williams has given readers an irresistible story that spans continents, cultures, and millennia as she examines the question of who, ultimately, owns the past.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Hachette Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/10\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780316382519\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 432\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.10h x 5.40w x 1.30d","brand":"Paige Williams","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36636236939420,"sku":"9780316382519","price":18.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_ade2e6e8-bcaa-42be-9431-547cb105305c.jpg?v=1603841345","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-dinosaur-artist-obsession-science-and-the-global-quest-for-fossils-9780316382519","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}