Reviewed by Blandine Hautier (Independent fossil preparator; Bonn, Germany)

Rich, T.H. and P. Vickers-Rich. 2020. Dinosaurs of Darkness. 2nd ed. Indiana Univ. Press, Bloomington, IN. 332 pp. ($24.50 paper, $12.59 e-book with 30% PS discount.)

Paleontological excavation stories are usually told long after most actors have passed. For this story, the authors did not wait so long. In an effort to preserve the discoveries, methods, and experiments, and to show gratitude to all the people involved in their excavations, the Riches brought to the world this beautiful book. A “thank you” gift, bearing witness to the many adventures experienced by volunteers, technicians, and researchers seeking to learn more about Australia's past.  

This is an extensive retrospective on everything that has been done—from the first finds, to museum displays—it credits every contributor, lists all the scientific discoveries, tells about all the trial-and-error exercises with machinery, and gives advice on what is preferable to do (or avoid) when doing fieldwork. The reality of excavations is much harder than people would like to believe, and oftentimes workers or volunteers put their lives at risks, in the hopes of discovering new fossils. Dealing with heavy machinery, explosives, working underground, as well as all the logistics needed to run a functional excavation site can be a headache, but the authors share what they have learned for their more than 30 years of experience.

Paleontology is a passion that is so devouring, that it is in most cases impossible to dissociate from one's private life. Few people in this field manage to find balance between family and work, and usually it is by combining both. The authors seem to be some of the lucky ones. The reader gets to learn about how the Riches attended digs with their daughter, after which they eventually named a new species of dinosaur discovered there: Leaellynasaura amicagraphica.

This book mentions crucial topics—grants, permits, marketing—that are usually avoided by authors, because they are less exciting than talking about the dinosaurs themselves. They remind readers that without this context, there would be no dinosaurs to talk about! Paleontology is a field that constantly needs to “prove” itself to authorities, sponsors, institutions—and researchers have to become marketing experts, playing the political and mediatic game in order to gather funding and being able to keep digging. The authors explain how they made their way through this complicated system, and managed to get governmental permissions and funding, creating long-term relationships with sponsors, spreading around the news, and eventually showing the world their team's wonderful discoveries.

Regarding the fossil finds, they are put in their geological, biological, and environmental context: how could dinosaurs thrive in polar environments? The discoveries are richly illustrated with colored photographs (sometimes with stereoscopic images), and accompanied with references to scientific papers if you want to learn more about them. Paleoart is also discussed, first as a way of “bringing back to life” extinct animals and environments, and second as a powerful tool for science communication and media attention.

I really enjoyed this book, and what struck me the most was the exemplary way in which the authors credited and showed gratefulness towards all the people who contributed to this beautiful project (notably in the list of excavators from 1984 to 2019). This is rarely mentioned in this field and should be done more often. How many fossils would have never ended up in researcher's hands, or in a display case, without the support of dozens of anonymous helpers who found, dug up, and worked on them beforehand? 

While reading, one realizes the extent of efforts required over decades, for hundreds of people, brought together by the love of extinct animals, to uncover amazing polar dinosaurs, in an area where nobody was expecting them to begin with. Dinosaurs of Darknessbrings to light many topics—other than dinosaurs—that are usually kept in the dark.