All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals

All Yesterdays presents speculative reconstructions of prehistoric animals based on fossil evidence, challenging conventional paleoart traditions. The book combines scientific knowledge with imaginative interpretations of how extinct creatures may have appeared and behaved. The illustrations depict dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals in poses and situations rarely seen in traditional paleoart. Through detailed artwork and accompanying text, the authors explore the limitations of fossil evidence and question standard assumptions about ancient animal appearances. The work includes a section called "All Todays" which reverses the perspective by imagining how future paleontologists might reconstruct modern animals from their fossils. This unique approach examines the relationship between evidence and interpretation in paleontology. The book serves as a meditation on scientific uncertainty and the role of imagination in reconstructing the past. Its central thesis raises questions about how cultural and contemporary biases influence our understanding of extinct life.

Readers value the book's fresh perspective on paleoart and its challenge to traditional dinosaur illustrations. Many note how it exposes the limitations of fossil-based reconstructions and pushes artists to consider behavior, soft tissues, and coloration that fossils can't show. Likes: - Creative speculative illustrations - Clear explanations of scientific reasoning - Shows how past paleoart has become outdated - Quality of the artwork - Humor in the "All Todays" section Dislikes: - Short length (96 pages) - High price for page count - Some found the speculative sections too extreme - Print quality issues in some copies - Limited scientific detail Ratings: Goodreads: 4.4/5 (500+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (200+ ratings) One reader noted: "Makes you question everything you thought you knew about dinosaur appearances." Another mentioned: "The price point is steep for such a slim volume, but the concepts are worth it."

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🦕 The book challenges the traditional "shrink-wrapped" appearance of dinosaur reconstructions, where artists typically show prehistoric animals with minimal fat, skin, and soft tissues - suggesting many might have looked dramatically different than commonly depicted. 🎨 Many of the book's illustrations show dinosaurs engaging in behaviors seen in modern animals but rarely depicted in paleoart, such as male dinosaurs displaying for mates, animals wallowing in mud, or using camouflage. 🦖 The book includes a section called "All Todays" which reverses the perspective - showing how future paleontologists might incorrectly reconstruct modern animals if they only had their fossils to work with, highlighting the limitations of paleontological reconstruction. 📚 Author C.M. Kosemen (who also works under the name Memo Kosemen) is known for other speculative works including "All Your Yesterdays," a follow-up featuring paleoart from various contributors inspired by the original book's concept. 🔍 The book was born from online discussions between Kosemen, John Conway, and Darren Naish about the limitations of traditional dinosaur artwork and how many of our assumptions about prehistoric animal appearance might be completely wrong.