Rex Appeal
by Peter Larson and Kristin Donnan
Invisible Cities Press, New York, NY
2002, Hardcover, Color, 6-1/4" x 9", $26.95.

Reviewed by June Culp Zeitner

This is the true story of the life and times of the world's record-holding T. rex, Sue, and the Black Hills Institute's paleontological crew that rescued her and then lost her to a series of events that read like bad fiction. It has all the elements that make one wonder what else could happen, and sorry when the last page is read.

Sue was to be the focal point of the Black Hills Museum of Natural History, then in the planning state. Now she is the greatest attraction of Chicago's Field Museum, courtesy of McDonald's, Disney, and over $8.36 million.

Peter Larson, Institute President, and his partners were amazed when the FBI and the unauthorized National Guard kidnapped their dinosaur after they had put in thousands of hours of work, recruited fellow scientists to start a monograph on T. rex, and convinced NASA to do a CAT Scan of Sue's enormous head. Following this, the court charged them with 38 counts. The longest and most expensive trial in South Dakota's history should make for a great movie! There were spies, some mysterious foreigners, a “biased” judge, death of a possible witness, an overzealous reporter, and a jury foreman who supposedly misinformed the 11 jurors who wanted a “not guilty” verdict.

Larson alone was sentenced to two years of prison, but while in prison he wrote the scientific part of this book which is so well-written and thorough that it makes the information almost seem like common sense. The blend of science and the “truth is stranger than fiction” theme is surprisingly effective. Co-author Donnan is a writer who came to South Dakota from California to get the dinosaur story. She married Larson before the trial, fulfilling the missing link of the story — romance. The pages labeled Rex Files (his) and Ex Files (hers) cleverly express their special views and frank comments as well as late news and assessments of Sue's effect on their lives.

Each of the graphics and photos is one-of-kind. The color section shows the excavation and partial preparation of Sue, an artist's representation of Sue and family (a baby T. rex with downy feathers), and the Hell Creek home of many of these tyrant kings. The book is a happy mixture of the tragedies, triumphs, and science of the giant carnivorous dinosaurs like Sue which ruled the earth for at least 95 million years.

Everyone interested in earth science will like this book, particularly those interested in paleontology, but also those interested in government regulations, the differences between amateur and commercial collectors, and most of all, those in the trials and triumphs of unconventional careers.

Buy this book from Barnes & Noble.com

June Culp Zeitner, who has been writing for the Lapidary Journal since 1956 and joined the editorial staff in 1967, is the author of nine gem and mineral books, and helped start the National Rockhound and Lapidary Hall of Fame.

Back to the List of Book Reviews