Relying on correspondence, contemporary articles, and other archival material, Rea, a free-lance writer, tells the story of the 1899 discovery and subsequent fame of Diplodocus carnegii , unearthed in Wyoming in an expedition funded by Andrew Carnegie. The bones were mounted and displayed in a dozen museums around the world and fueled debates that continue today about how dinosaurs walked and lived. Focusing on the personalities of five fossil hunters, paleontologists, and Carnegie himself, Rea explores Victorian science, the causes and consequences of Carnegie's philanthropy, and how natural history museums became dinosaur-centered shrines to science. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)