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Renamed, cutting ZCEs, low-context potholes and non-examples.
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* PteroSoarer: Pterosaurs are portrayed as rather bat-like, hanging from trees and being clumsy on the ground. They also seem to have smooth skin with no pycnofibres.
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* SeaMonster: Marine creatures, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, the fish ''Dunkleosteus'' and the whale ''Basilosaurus''.
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* FantasticFaunaCounterpart: ''Pterodactlyus'' is portrayed pretty much like a prehistoric bat, hanging from branches upside down [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology despite its foot anatomy not making it able to do so]].
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* AquaticSauropods: Brachiosaurs are depicted as living in dee water to support their huge weight.
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* AquaticSauropods: Brachiosaurs are depicted as living in dee deep water to support their huge weight.weight. ''Brontosaurus'' and ''Diplodocus'' are also depicted in a wet, swampy environment.
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* KingOfTheDinosaurs: It's even on the cover. In fact, large theropods are represented exclusively by tyrannosaurs in the book. Besides the ''rex'', there is also ''Gorgosaurus'' and that famous ''Tarbosaurus'' painting also appears.
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* AquaticSauropods: Brachiosaurs are depicted as living in dee water to support their huge weight.
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* BewareMyStingerTail: ''Stegosaurus'' and ''Scolosaurus''.
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* CarryABigStick: One of the Neanderthals.
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* KingOfTheDinosaurs: It's even on the cover. In fact, large theropods are represented exclusively by tyrannosaurs in the book. Besides the ''rex'', there is also ''Gorgosaurus'' and that famous ''Tarbosaurus'' painting also appears.
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* KingOfTheDinosaurs: It's even on the cover. In fact, large theropods are represented exclusively by tyrannosaurs in the book. Besides the ''rex'', there is also ''Gorgosaurus'' and that famous ''Tarbosaurus'' painting also appears.
to:
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Dewicked trope
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* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs
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TRS wick clean-up
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* SmallTaxonomyPools: Sadly, dinosaurs are rather underrepresented, at least compared to the mammals.
* StockDinosaurs: Almost every non-bird dinosaur is a stock one, but strangely some familiar faces like ''Allosaurus'' and ''Ceratosaurus'' are absent. Dromaeosaurs, too, for obvious reasons. Other stock paleo-animals that do appear include mammoths and saber-tooths.
* StockDinosaurs: Almost every non-bird dinosaur is a stock one, but strangely some familiar faces like ''Allosaurus'' and ''Ceratosaurus'' are absent. Dromaeosaurs, too, for obvious reasons. Other stock paleo-animals that do appear include mammoths and saber-tooths.
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Cut trope
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* SeldomSeenSpecies: Oh, many, especially from the Paleozoic and Cenozoic.
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None
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While the text supplied by Czech paleontologist Zdeněk Špinar is insightful and informative enough (if at times short), the real selling point of the book is the gorgeous art. These ''immensely'' influential illustrations were all painted by famous artist [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zdenek_Burian Zdenek Burian]], who (along with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_R._Knight Charles R. Knight]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_Zallinger Rudolph F. Zallinger]]) practically defined the "canonical" image of prehistoric fauna and flora for the early-to-mid-20th century. He was easily one of the most prolific and most frequently copied paleoartist, and a number of his works (or their imitations) still appear in modern books from time to time.
to:
While the text supplied by Czech paleontologist Zdeněk Špinar is insightful and informative enough (if at times short), the real selling point of the book is the gorgeous art. These ''immensely'' influential illustrations were all painted by famous artist [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zdenek_Burian Zdenek Burian]], who (along along with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_R._Knight Charles R. Knight]] Creator/CharlesRKnight and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_Zallinger Rudolph F. Zallinger]]) practically defined the "canonical" image of prehistoric fauna and flora for the early-to-mid-20th century. He was easily one of the most prolific and most frequently copied paleoartist, and a number of his works (or their imitations) still appear in modern books from time to time.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lifebeforeman1972.jpg]]
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* PteroSoarer: Pterosaurs are portrayed as rather bat-like, hanging from trees and being clumsy on the ground. They also seem to have smooth skin with no pycnofibres.
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None
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* FollowTheLeader: Burian's paintings represented a foundation on which many imitators stood.
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Disambiguating; deleting and renaming wicks as appropriate
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* TyrannosaurusRex: It's even on the cover. In fact, large theropods are represented exclusively by tyrannosaurs in the book. Besides the ''rex'', there is also ''Gorgosaurus'' and that famous ''Tarbosaurus'' painting also appears.
to:
* TyrannosaurusRex: KingOfTheDinosaurs: It's even on the cover. In fact, large theropods are represented exclusively by tyrannosaurs in the book. Besides the ''rex'', there is also ''Gorgosaurus'' and that famous ''Tarbosaurus'' painting also appears.
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None
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* EverythingsSquishierWithCephalopods: One of the few old books to depict ancient cephalopods in their natural habitat. Earlier, it was a common paleoart trope to just show their dried-up remains on the shore.
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* [[SeaMonster Giant Swimmer]]: Marine creatures, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, the fish ''Dunkleosteus'' and the whale ''Basilosaurus''.
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* SeaMonster: Marine creatures, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, the fish ''Dunkleosteus'' and the whale ''Basilosaurus''.
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* GiantSwimmer: Marine creatures, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, the fish ''Dunkleosteus'' and the whale ''Basilosaurus''.
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* GiantSwimmer: [[SeaMonster Giant Swimmer]]: Marine creatures, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, the fish ''Dunkleosteus'' and the whale ''Basilosaurus''.
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None
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* BewareMyStingerTail: ''Stegosaurus'' and "''Scolosaurus''".
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* BewareMyStingerTail: ''Stegosaurus'' and "''Scolosaurus''".''Scolosaurus''.
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* ScienceMarchesOn: Yeah, it's a paleontology book from the '70s, compiling a list on what's outdated would be pointless. Lets just say that it would be almost as long as the book itself. However a few key points can be singled out:
** The birds aren't related to dinosaurs, instead they evolved from the purely made-up critter ''Proavis''.
** Defying the laws of physics, sauropods are happy swamp-dwellers.
*** Among them is "''Brontosaurus''".
** Hadrosaurs seek refuge from theropods in the water, who for some reason are repelled by the stuff.
** Plesiosaurs have bendy necks.
** Pterosaurs rest by hanging upside down like bats.
** Ankylosaurs look like armored salamanders.
** Many dinosaurs are tail-draggers.
** However this is also {{Lampshade}}d in the art, as many of the pictures are updated, corrected versions of Burian's older works.
** The birds aren't related to dinosaurs, instead they evolved from the purely made-up critter ''Proavis''.
** Defying the laws of physics, sauropods are happy swamp-dwellers.
*** Among them is "''Brontosaurus''".
** Hadrosaurs seek refuge from theropods in the water, who for some reason are repelled by the stuff.
** Plesiosaurs have bendy necks.
** Pterosaurs rest by hanging upside down like bats.
** Ankylosaurs look like armored salamanders.
** Many dinosaurs are tail-draggers.
** However this is also {{Lampshade}}d in the art, as many of the pictures are updated, corrected versions of Burian's older works.
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Namespace
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Not to be confused with a MargaretAtwood novel of the same name.
to:
Not to be confused with a MargaretAtwood Creator/MargaretAtwood novel of the same name.
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* BlindIdiotTranslation: Some translations of the book repeatedly give the crocodilian ''Steneosaurus''' name as ''Stegosaurus''. As anyone with even a faint understanding of prehistoric life can tell you, the famous plated dinosaur ''Stegosaurus'' wasn't a needle-nosed crocodile, and as anyone with a decent understanding of zoological nomenclature can tell you, one generic name can only be used for one animal genus.
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''''' Life Before Man''''' (1972) is a richly illustrated Czech book on paleontology and the history of life on Earth.
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* StockDinosaurs: Almost every non-bird dinosaur is a stock one, but strangely some familiar faces like ''Allosaurus'' and ''Ceratosaurus'' are absent. Dromaeosaurs, too, for obvious reasons. Other stock paleo-animals that do appear include mammths and saber-tooths.
to:
* StockDinosaurs: Almost every non-bird dinosaur is a stock one, but strangely some familiar faces like ''Allosaurus'' and ''Ceratosaurus'' are absent. Dromaeosaurs, too, for obvious reasons. Other stock paleo-animals that do appear include mammths mammoths and saber-tooths.
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''''' Life Before Man''''' (1972) is a richly illustrated Czech book on paleontology and the history of life on Earth.
It might seem weird to dedicate an entry to what might appear like a standard, dime a dozen dinosaur book, not to mention one as old and outdated as this, but it is a true CultClassic among paleo-fanatics. Since it has been translated into many languages, it was to lots of people the best and most easily accessible guide to prehistory, and they do to this day remember it fondly. Something of an UnintentionalPeriodPiece, of course only with regards to paleontology and paleoart, this volume represented the thinkings and collected many of the tropes of mid-20th century paleontology. It can also in a way be regarded as one of the closing works of that era, before the scientific revolution known as the Dinosaur Renaissance took over.
While the text supplied by Czech paleontologist Zdeněk Špinar is insightful and informative enough (if at times short), the real selling point of the book is the gorgeous art. These ''immensely'' influential illustrations were all painted by famous artist [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zdenek_Burian Zdenek Burian]], who (along with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_R._Knight Charles R. Knight]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_Zallinger Rudolph F. Zallinger]]) practically defined the "canonical" image of prehistoric fauna and flora for the early-to-mid-20th century. He was easily one of the most prolific and most frequently copied paleoartist, and a number of his works (or their imitations) still appear in modern books from time to time.
While seriously outdated and near-useless as a science book, especially the section on the Mesozoic, the importance of the volume and the quality of the paintings therein cannot be questioned. For paleo-geeks of old, it is nostalgia incarnate.
It saw an extended paperback release in 1996. This version included a number of more obscure Burian pieces, which have taken some cues from the advanced concepts of the Dinosaur Renaissance.
Not to be confused with a MargaretAtwood novel of the same name.
----
!!The work contains examples of:
* BearsAreBadNews: Especially to the cavemen fighting it in one painting.
* BewareMyStingerTail: ''Stegosaurus'' and "''Scolosaurus''".
* CarryABigStick: One of the Neanderthals.
* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs
* EverythingsSquishierWithCephalopods: One of the few old books to depict ancient cephalopods in their natural habitat. Earlier, it was a common paleoart trope to just show their dried-up remains on the shore.
* FollowTheLeader: Burian's paintings represented a foundation on which many imitators stood.
* GiantFlyer: ''Pteranodon'', which at the writing of the book was the largest known flying animal.
* GiantSwimmer: Marine creatures, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, the fish ''Dunkleosteus'' and the whale ''Basilosaurus''.
* PredatorsAreMean: And herbivores are friendly. The description of ''Styracosaurus'' for instance claims that the animal was obviously harmless, because... well, plant-eaters by default ''are'', right?
* PrehistoricMonster: Every animal has an eerie, antediluvian feel to it; a signature of Burian's art. Though they aren't treated as monsters in the text.
* RaptorAttack: Averted, as raptors weren't even known all that well back then. ''Archaeopteryx'' is the only one represented, and it's one of the most accurate reconstructions ever, down to the color of the wing feathers (at least on one of the pics).
* RealIsBrown: Averted in some cases, as for instance the dinosaurs ''Compsognathus'', ''Archaeopteryx'' and "''Trachodon''" are very colorful. Most other dinos are rather drab in contrast, though.
* SceneryPorn: ''God!'' One of the most defining aspects of Burian's artwork is his attention to the environments, which he put at least as much effort into as his animals. Several of the paintings are just landscapes, devoid of animals, but they are gorgeous ''and'' on top of it quite accurate.
* ScienceMarchesOn: Yeah, it's a paleontology book from the '70s, compiling a list on what's outdated would be pointless. Lets just say that it would be almost as long as the book itself. However a few key points can be singled out:
** The birds aren't related to dinosaurs, instead they evolved from the purely made-up critter ''Proavis''.
** Defying the laws of physics, sauropods are happy swamp-dwellers.
*** Among them is "''Brontosaurus''".
** Hadrosaurs seek refuge from theropods in the water, who for some reason are repelled by the stuff.
** Plesiosaurs have bendy necks.
** Pterosaurs rest by hanging upside down like bats.
** Ankylosaurs look like armored salamanders.
** Many dinosaurs are tail-draggers.
** However this is also {{Lampshade}}d in the art, as many of the pictures are updated, corrected versions of Burian's older works.
* SeldomSeenSpecies: Oh, many, especially from the Paleozoic and Cenozoic.
* SmallTaxonomyPools: Sadly, dinosaurs are rather underrepresented, at least compared to the mammals.
* StockDinosaurs: Almost every non-bird dinosaur is a stock one, but strangely some familiar faces like ''Allosaurus'' and ''Ceratosaurus'' are absent. Dromaeosaurs, too, for obvious reasons. Other stock paleo-animals that do appear include mammths and saber-tooths.
* TyrannosaurusRex: It's even on the cover. In fact, large theropods are represented exclusively by tyrannosaurs in the book. Besides the ''rex'', there is also ''Gorgosaurus'' and that famous ''Tarbosaurus'' painting also appears.
It might seem weird to dedicate an entry to what might appear like a standard, dime a dozen dinosaur book, not to mention one as old and outdated as this, but it is a true CultClassic among paleo-fanatics. Since it has been translated into many languages, it was to lots of people the best and most easily accessible guide to prehistory, and they do to this day remember it fondly. Something of an UnintentionalPeriodPiece, of course only with regards to paleontology and paleoart, this volume represented the thinkings and collected many of the tropes of mid-20th century paleontology. It can also in a way be regarded as one of the closing works of that era, before the scientific revolution known as the Dinosaur Renaissance took over.
While the text supplied by Czech paleontologist Zdeněk Špinar is insightful and informative enough (if at times short), the real selling point of the book is the gorgeous art. These ''immensely'' influential illustrations were all painted by famous artist [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zdenek_Burian Zdenek Burian]], who (along with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_R._Knight Charles R. Knight]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_Zallinger Rudolph F. Zallinger]]) practically defined the "canonical" image of prehistoric fauna and flora for the early-to-mid-20th century. He was easily one of the most prolific and most frequently copied paleoartist, and a number of his works (or their imitations) still appear in modern books from time to time.
While seriously outdated and near-useless as a science book, especially the section on the Mesozoic, the importance of the volume and the quality of the paintings therein cannot be questioned. For paleo-geeks of old, it is nostalgia incarnate.
It saw an extended paperback release in 1996. This version included a number of more obscure Burian pieces, which have taken some cues from the advanced concepts of the Dinosaur Renaissance.
Not to be confused with a MargaretAtwood novel of the same name.
----
!!The work contains examples of:
* BearsAreBadNews: Especially to the cavemen fighting it in one painting.
* BewareMyStingerTail: ''Stegosaurus'' and "''Scolosaurus''".
* CarryABigStick: One of the Neanderthals.
* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs
* EverythingsSquishierWithCephalopods: One of the few old books to depict ancient cephalopods in their natural habitat. Earlier, it was a common paleoart trope to just show their dried-up remains on the shore.
* FollowTheLeader: Burian's paintings represented a foundation on which many imitators stood.
* GiantFlyer: ''Pteranodon'', which at the writing of the book was the largest known flying animal.
* GiantSwimmer: Marine creatures, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, the fish ''Dunkleosteus'' and the whale ''Basilosaurus''.
* PredatorsAreMean: And herbivores are friendly. The description of ''Styracosaurus'' for instance claims that the animal was obviously harmless, because... well, plant-eaters by default ''are'', right?
* PrehistoricMonster: Every animal has an eerie, antediluvian feel to it; a signature of Burian's art. Though they aren't treated as monsters in the text.
* RaptorAttack: Averted, as raptors weren't even known all that well back then. ''Archaeopteryx'' is the only one represented, and it's one of the most accurate reconstructions ever, down to the color of the wing feathers (at least on one of the pics).
* RealIsBrown: Averted in some cases, as for instance the dinosaurs ''Compsognathus'', ''Archaeopteryx'' and "''Trachodon''" are very colorful. Most other dinos are rather drab in contrast, though.
* SceneryPorn: ''God!'' One of the most defining aspects of Burian's artwork is his attention to the environments, which he put at least as much effort into as his animals. Several of the paintings are just landscapes, devoid of animals, but they are gorgeous ''and'' on top of it quite accurate.
* ScienceMarchesOn: Yeah, it's a paleontology book from the '70s, compiling a list on what's outdated would be pointless. Lets just say that it would be almost as long as the book itself. However a few key points can be singled out:
** The birds aren't related to dinosaurs, instead they evolved from the purely made-up critter ''Proavis''.
** Defying the laws of physics, sauropods are happy swamp-dwellers.
*** Among them is "''Brontosaurus''".
** Hadrosaurs seek refuge from theropods in the water, who for some reason are repelled by the stuff.
** Plesiosaurs have bendy necks.
** Pterosaurs rest by hanging upside down like bats.
** Ankylosaurs look like armored salamanders.
** Many dinosaurs are tail-draggers.
** However this is also {{Lampshade}}d in the art, as many of the pictures are updated, corrected versions of Burian's older works.
* SeldomSeenSpecies: Oh, many, especially from the Paleozoic and Cenozoic.
* SmallTaxonomyPools: Sadly, dinosaurs are rather underrepresented, at least compared to the mammals.
* StockDinosaurs: Almost every non-bird dinosaur is a stock one, but strangely some familiar faces like ''Allosaurus'' and ''Ceratosaurus'' are absent. Dromaeosaurs, too, for obvious reasons. Other stock paleo-animals that do appear include mammths and saber-tooths.
* TyrannosaurusRex: It's even on the cover. In fact, large theropods are represented exclusively by tyrannosaurs in the book. Besides the ''rex'', there is also ''Gorgosaurus'' and that famous ''Tarbosaurus'' painting also appears.
