AnyBook4Less.com	Find the Best Price on the Web Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money Keyword AuthorISBN

Title: The Last Dinosaur Book: The Life and Times of a Cultural Icon by W. J. T. Mitchell ISBN: 0-226-53204-6 Publisher: University of Chicago Press (Trd) Pub. Date: November, 1998 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $35.00

Your Country USA Canada United Kingdom Australia Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Switzerland Currency AutoUSD CAD GBP EUR AUD CHF Delivery Only cheapest delivery All delivery options Include Used Books Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 4.1 (10 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: powerfully frames a discussion about our culture
Comment: THE LAST DINOSAUR BOOK elucidates the value of cultural studies. It powerfully frames a discussion about what we are as a culture while bypassing all the standard cliches. In the "totem" of the dinosaur, Mitchell is able to see a kaleidoscope of ambivalent pulls upon the fibers of our motivations. Utilizing various cultural phenomena, Mitchell makes clear in a comprehensive fashion why the dinosaur so well speaks for our cultural unconscious and the changes it is going through in the way of "sex, money, politics, and nature." The dinosaur does this in many ways because it is a category (if not actual phenomena) that we as moderns created and as post-moderns recreated. In a sense, the "dinosaur" itself, as a category, is a powerful "over-reading." How odd then that Mitchell should be accused of over-interpretation, when he is merely being a responsible critic who refuses to deny that which is of interest in our culture and quite undogmatically offers us some tools to begin to engage some of the dominant yet contradictory symbols of our culture. This is a vital book that cuts across disciplines and makes us realize what cultural studies is for.

Rating: 3
Summary: More speculation than honest research
Comment: I admit, I'm a dinophile. Well, actually a paleo-phile since I'm interested in all aspects of paleontology. So I thought this book would be a clever examination of the influence of dinosaurs in popular culture. Well...

I think Mitchell suffers from the problem that most scholars in the Arts face today: ignorance of empirical methods. Instead of letting the facts build into a conclusion, these people make the facts fit a conclusion that they have already determined. They let their own beliefs influence their judgement, then--paradoxically--discount any other field's opposing viewpoint as biased by popular persception.

While this book can be read simply as an interesting examination of the times and circumstances in which "dinomania" gripped our country, the reader needs to take many of Mitchell's conculsions with a grain of salt. Instead of a detailed look at a broad spectrum of dinosaurs icons in popular culture, he only focuses those individual occurances that prove his conclusions. Are these conclusions right? The reader has no way of determining that because not enough examples are given for arguments to stand on there own.

If you buy this book, do so for the facts about dinosaur history and the excellent illustrations. Just be a little skeptical when drawing your own conclusions.

Rating: 4
Summary: The Last Dino Totem
Comment: I found this book interesting and fun to read. It contains lots of ideas, facts, and pictures about dinosaurs and the history of dinosaurs. Especially interesting is the way Tom Mitchell shows how society's perceptions of this mighty group of creatures has changed over time so that dinosaurs somehow always manage to represent the most current economic and scientific trends. I also enjoyed the section that delves into the possible reasons small children (and perhaps others) identify with dinos, especially the Calvin & Hobbs cartoons. I found the comments throughout the book delineating the unremitting dance between science and the humanities with pertinent critiques to both sides to be thought-provoking, not to mention somewhat comforting, given my belief that we need to question everything. After all, not even science can provide all the answers. Finally, this book contains a wealth of references to other literary and artistic works about dinosaurs. It could function as a starting point for someone who might want to research the topic. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in dinosaurs, American history, and popular culture. My only question is this: what will the person who writes the next book about dinosaurs call their book? May the dino live long and prosper!