The dinosaur artist: obsession, betrayal and the quest for Earth's ultimate trophy
(Book)
In 2012, a New York auction catalogue boasted an unusual offering: "a superb Tyrannosaurus skeleton." In fact, Lot 49135 consisted of a nearly complete T. bataar, 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. 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. But there was a problem. This time, facing financial strain, had Prokopi gone too far? As the T. bataar 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. This 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, it 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.
Williams, P. (2018). The dinosaur artist: obsession, betrayal and the quest for Earth's ultimate trophy. First Edition. New York, Hachette Books.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Williams, Paige, 1966-. 2018. The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy. New York, Hachette Books.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Williams, Paige, 1966-, The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy. New York, Hachette Books, 2018.
MLA Citation (style guide)Williams, Paige. The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy. First Edition. New York, Hachette Books, 2018.
Record Information
Last Sierra Extract Time | Apr 23, 2024 02:41:48 PM |
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Last File Modification Time | Apr 23, 2024 02:41:59 PM |
Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Apr 25, 2024 01:36:40 AM |
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100 | 1 | |a Williams, Paige,|d 1966-|e author. | |
245 | 1 | 4 | |a The dinosaur artist :|b obsession, betrayal and the quest for Earth's ultimate trophy /|c Paige Williams. |
246 | 3 | 0 | |a Obsession, betrayal, and the quest for Earth's ultimate trophy |
250 | |a First Edition. | ||
264 | 1 | |a New York :|b Hachette Books,|c [2018] | |
264 | 4 | |c ©2018 | |
300 | |a xxii, 410 pages ;|c 24 cm | ||
336 | |a text|b txt|2 rdacontent | ||
337 | |a unmediated|b n|2 rdamedia | ||
338 | |a volume|b nc|2 rdacarrier | ||
504 | |a Includes bibliographical references (289-381) and index. | ||
505 | 0 | |a "Superb tyrannosaurus skeleton" -- Land O' Lakes -- Garcia, king of the Ice Age -- Dive -- Deal -- Tucson -- Big game -- Middleman in Japan -- Hollywood headhunters -- The warrior and the explorer -- The flaming cliffs -- Market conditions -- "Go Gobi" -- The ghost of Mary Anning -- The last dinosaur -- The President's predicament -- United States of America v. One Tyrannosaurus bataar skeleton -- Raid! -- Verdict -- Tarbomania -- Petersburg low -- The dinosaur bus. | |
520 | |a In 2012, a New York auction catalogue boasted an unusual offering: "a superb Tyrannosaurus skeleton." In fact, Lot 49135 consisted of a nearly complete T. bataar, 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. 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. But there was a problem. This time, facing financial strain, had Prokopi gone too far? As the T. bataar 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. This 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, it 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. | ||
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