Dinosaurs: A Fantastic New View of a Lost Era (1981), by William Stout, is the first in what would become a series of books and sketchbooks by the famed artist. Unlike The Flight of Dragons, the foundation of this book was real, cutting-edge paleontology of the day that was radically changing the way scientists viewed dinosaurs. But, either by design or coincidence, the book fits into the wider web of Larkin’s white books and their imitators — it’s a complete field guide, covering behavior, social group, various types of dinosaurs and prehistoric lizards and the physiological features that made each unique, accompanied by a near-decadent amount of Stout’s artwork and wrapped in a, well, beige cover, but it sits next to the white dust jackets just fine.
Stout’s art is phenomenal. His dinos tend to be a bit gaunt and knobby, often emphasizing a kind of monstrousness. I’ve no idea how plausible his designs are, but they convey a lot of personality, as well as size and power, which is maybe just as important as accuracy — these guys are more alive than the ones in the Princeton field guides. Stout balances this with a design sense that leans heavily into Art Nouveau conventions, which subverts that monstrousness. It’s an interesting, exciting choice.
I was ga-ga about dinosaurs when I was a kid and I am genuinely a little bit annoyed I only got this book for the first time a couple years ago. My annoyance is assuaged somewhat by the fact that my second-hand copy happened to be signed and accompanied by a sketch of a brontosaurus! (Brontosaurus forever!)
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