A review by turrean
Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist by Linda Skeers

adventurous informative slow-paced

2.5

The title implies Anning discovered or studied dinosaur fossils. Her main finds were not dinosaurs, but other types of fossils (ichthyosaurs, pterosaurs, belemnites, coprolites.) The author suggests that it was Anning’s ichthyosaur fossils that led scientists to understand the vast age of the earth. “Mary’s find wasn’t old, it was millions of years old. Their declaration shattered the commonly held belief that the Earth was only 6000 years old.” This is a vast oversimplification of the evidence that led scientists to their modern estimates of the Earth’s age. 

This is a charmingly illustrated book about a fascinating scientific figure, but the imprecise language will perpetuate common misinformation about paleontology.