My new sauropod book with Mark Hallett will be out soon
May 2, 2016
Publisher’s description here, Amazon page here.
I’ll have a lot more to say about this in the future, but the short version is that I met Mark Hallett at one of my first SVP meetings in 1997 or 1998. Way back then, he shared with me his vision of doing a big, lavishly illustrated book on sauropods. Fast forward to 2011, when Mark contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to serve as a reviewer for the sauropod book that he was writing. I told him that because I was on the tenure track I had to be pretty jealous with my time, so there was a limit to how much time I could invest as a reviewer. However, if he would take me on as junior author, the book would become part of my professional output and there would be no limit to how much time I could put into it (words that would turn out to be prophetic!). Mark agreed, and after 5 years of hard work, mostly on Mark’s part, here we are. The wheels are turning and with any luck the book will be out before the end of the year.
Mark and I owe a big debt of gratitude to the people who did agree to review the book: Kristi Curry Rogers, Carole Gee, John Hutchinson, and Paul Upchurch. We couldn’t have asked for a better team.
Stay tuned!
Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week 
May 2, 2016 at 5:13 pm
AWESOME!!!!!!
May 2, 2016 at 6:26 pm
Looking forward to this one. Love Mark’s work. Haven’t seen Mark since the 1970s … I think. He sort of disappeared off my radar scope. Looking forward to being reconnected and what a reconnection this will be … SAUROPODS !!! Too bad MacIntosh wasn’t around to enjoy this … the one regret.
May 2, 2016 at 6:28 pm
Congratulations on your new book!
May 3, 2016 at 3:23 am
Congratulations, Matt! That’s the other half of my b-day present sorted (first half was on those media hogs by one Dr Hone).
May 3, 2016 at 5:08 am
Congratulations, Dr. Wedel!! I’m just looking forward to reading this book as soon as possible because in Japan, there are no (or very little) academic books of dinosaurs so we must rely on Amazon or download papers to study paleontology. Especially I’m interested in cardiology and respiratory systems of sauropods and I’m going to study them with this!!
May 3, 2016 at 3:14 pm
Thanks, everyone, for the kind words.
Too bad MacIntosh wasn’t around to enjoy this … the one regret.
You said it. Still, I am very fortunate to have gotten to know him for so long. I first wrote to him way back in 1996 or 1997, when I was still an undergrad, and he wrote back at considerable length with many helpful suggestions for what would become Sauroposeidon. All of this on paper, of course, it being the 90s. He was an outstandingly knowledgeable and generous person.
That’s the other half of my b-day present sorted (first half was on those media hogs by one Dr Hone).
Ha, yeah, Dave has been killing it lately. It’s a good time to be obsessed with dinosaurs.
May 3, 2016 at 4:26 pm
You have to pre-order this book from Amazon. I did. Basically bought myself an Xmas gift for December. Looking forward with great anticipation. Price is surprisingly very affordable. Thanks to Hallet and Wedel in advance for the huge effort.
May 3, 2016 at 5:02 pm
I’m wondering if this book might contain a re-assessment of the little-known Jurassic sauropod “Apatosaurus” minimus, or if it includes the recently described titanosaur Sarmientosaurus. I’d be curious to see if it mentions the separation of Brontosaurus from Apatosaurus and the renaming of Diplodocus hayi as Galeamopus. I look forward to seeing the contents of his book when a preview of it appears online at Google Books.
May 3, 2016 at 5:18 pm
Sorry, my irony detector must be on the fritz. I honestly can’t tell if you’re trolling or if you just have a wildly optimistic view of how book publishing works. The text was mostly finalized more than a year ago. We’re still catching typos and such, but the time for additions is long past, and even the typo-catching phase will have to wrap up in a week or two so we can get the files off to the printers.
We knew going into this that the book would not include the most recent discoveries, simply because book publishing takes time. Fortunately I still have the blog for timely stuff.
May 16, 2016 at 7:52 pm
I take it you’re publishing this on Amazon. Or is it a Brick ‘n Mortar publishing firm that is doing this ? My tyrannosaur one won’t be out ’til 2017. What’s the best route to take guys ??
May 16, 2016 at 11:08 pm
Brick-n-Mortar – the very first link in the post will take you to the book’s page at Johns Hopkins University Press. I have no idea what the best route is, as I’m not quiiiiiite done with my first book, as second author, where I’ve been sheltered from a lot of the nitty-gritty. But maybe more knowledgeable folks will chime in. Good luck!
August 22, 2016 at 3:47 pm
Looks like it will be good, but couldn’t you have chosen a less ugly picture for the cover (that Camarasaurus looks really, well, odd)?
August 22, 2016 at 5:16 pm
This is exactly how I visualize a camarasaur. Gorgeous. Well done Mark. Youse the man !!!
October 6, 2016 at 8:58 pm
Hi Mark Hallett! Congratulations on your fantastic book! I look forward to buying it soon!
My sister, Laura, died on October 1, very ill with Ovarian Cancer for 3.5 years, but she kept you close in her thoughts. Take Care…Liza
October 6, 2016 at 9:11 pm
I want to add that Mark H. Came to meet my daughter in Vancouver,B.C. when she was 4 days old….she became a mad,crazy dinosaur obsessed child. She defended dinosaurs against mis-characterizations;knew their diet,domain, and every small thing. He must have really made an impression as we toured the Museum of Anthropology at U.B.C. that trip!
February 5, 2017 at 4:38 am
Mark,
Saw the book and it is awesome. Your creative talents are only eclipsed by your gracious and humble person. I’m proud of you and happy to have you as a friend. Congratulations on your new book.
January 18, 2018 at 8:39 am
[…] he gave to me as a Christmas present. The published version appears on one of the final pages of our book, where we discuss the boundaries between the known – the emerging synthesis of sauropod […]