{"product_id":"dinosaur-artist-obsession-betrayal-and-the-quest-for-earths-ultimate-trophy","title":"Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy","description":"\u003cbody\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eTitle: \u003c\/b\u003eDinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor: \u003c\/b\u003ePaige Williams\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN: \u003c\/b\u003e9780316382533\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/b\u003eHachette Books\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished: \u003c\/b\u003e2018\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding: \u003c\/b\u003ePaperback\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage: \u003c\/b\u003eEnglish\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEdition: \u003c\/b\u003e1\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Note: \u003c\/b\u003eClean, unmarked copy with some edge wear. Good binding. Dust jacket included if issued with one. We ship in recyclable American-made mailers. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher Description: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn this 2018 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003eNotable Book, \u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ePaige Williams \"does for fossils what Susan Orlean did for orchids\" (Book Riot) in her account of one Florida man's attempt to sell a dinosaur skeleton from Mongolia--a story \"steeped in natural history, human nature, commerce, crime, science, and politics\" (Rebecca Skloot).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In 2012, a New York auction catalogue boasted an unusual offering: \"a superb Tyrannosaurus skeleton.\" In fact, Lot 49135 consisted of a nearly complete \u003ci\u003eT. bataar\u003c\/i\u003e, 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But there was a problem. This time, facing financial strain, had Prokopi gone too far? As the \u003ci\u003eT. bataar\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the tradition of \u003ci\u003eThe Orchid Thief\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Dinosaur Artist\u003c\/i\u003e 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, \u003ci\u003eThe Dinosaur Artist\u003c\/i\u003e illuminates the history of fossil collecting--a murky, sometimes risky business, populated by eccentrics and obsessives, wher\u003c\/body\u003e","brand":"Hachette Books","offers":[{"title":"Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy | Paige Williams | Regular hardback | 9780316382533 | Used: Very Good | Non-Fiction 1601049","offer_id":48889805504664,"sku":"1601049","price":7.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0492\/1609\/4360\/files\/51owbXaiTZL.jpg?v=1776636418","url":"https:\/\/roundaboutbookstore.com\/products\/dinosaur-artist-obsession-betrayal-and-the-quest-for-earths-ultimate-trophy","provider":"Roundabout Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}