Join this week's featured author, Tom Rea, in our virtual book club series, “Authors and Anecdotes”, as he discusses his book Bone Wars: The Excavation and Celebrity of Andrew Carnegie's Dinosaur, Twentieth Anniversary Edition.

Bone Wars explains how a fossil unearthed in the badlands of Wyoming in 1899 helped give birth to the public’s fascination with prehistoric beasts. Rea also traces the evolution of scientific thought regarding dinosaurs and reveals the double-crosses and behind-the-scenes deals that marked the early years of bone hunting. With the help of letters found in scattered archives, Tom Rea recreates a remarkable story of hubris, hope, and turn-of-the-century science. What emerges is the picture of an era reminiscent of today: technology advancing by leaps and bounds; the press happy to sensationalize anything that turned up; huge amounts of capital ending up in the hands of a small number of people; and some devoted individuals placing honest research above personal gain.

Click HERE to be directed to the University of Pittsburgh Press website to learn more about Bone Wars and for purchasing options.  (While we encourage you to read the books ahead of time it is not a requirement to participate in the series.)

Join us as we not only discuss his book, but also dive into Rea's personal literature collection, his favorite readings, and participate in a live Q&A!

About the author: Tom Rea, who grew up in Pittsburgh admiring the dinosaurs at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, lives in Casper, Wyoming, with his family. Now a freelance writer and editor, for a dozen years he covered politics, education, and science for the Casper Star-Tribune, Wyoming’s largest newspaper.