Re: Owen, Cope, Marsh, Osborn

[pwillis@ozemail.com.au (Paul Willis)]

Jane Davidson wrote:

>On Mon, 24 Jun 1996 Tompaleo@aol.com wrote:
>
>> Along with the usual group of paleo-greats you cite, might I suggest other
>>  major players in paleontology who seem to get little attention  [...]
>
>> Thomas R. Lipka
>
>There is a good re-issue of Sternberg's autobiography __Life of a Fossil
>Hunter, put out by Indiana UP.    I was telling Christopher that there is
>someone who has written a new biography of Leidy altho I am not sure
>whether it is in press yet or not.  Excuse me,  I forget the author's
>name.  Jane D.

While Australia does not have as rich a history of dino-diggers, I would
advocate Longman or even some discussion of Scheville's work while he was
over here.

I got to interview Bill when I was in Boston in 1990 and his recollections
of fossil collecting in Australia in the early 1930's were astoundingly
clear and rich in drama. His off-sider for part of the trip was, he found
out later, a wanted murderer who had killed his mates while crocodile
hunting. He rode over dirt roads on flat-bed trucks loaded with dynamite to
get to a fossil site. Not only did he have many adventures while here, the
whole trip was paid for by a Californian hieress who wanted Bill to make a
man out of her good-for-nothing son (a job he admitted he failed in). Alont
the way he collected some fabulous fossil including that Elgin Marbles of
specimens, the MCZ Kronosaurus.

Cheers, Paul

pwillis@ozemail.com.au