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Dragon Hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic Expeditions |  | Author: Charles Gallenkamp
Creator: Michael J. Novacek
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
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Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 730127
Media: Paperback
Pages: 368
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 0142000760
Dewey Decimal Number: 508.092
EAN: 9780142000762
ASIN: 0142000760
Publication Date: March 26, 2002
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Amazon.com Review
Roy Chapman Andrews was never much of a scholar, and anyone who looked at his high school report card might have foretold an undistinguished future. But, from an early age, Andrews's ambitions lay outside the social norm; an ardent fan of Robinson Crusoe and a devoted outdoorsman, Andrews wanted nothing more than to be an adventurer. He got his chance when he talked his way onto the staff of the American Museum of Natural History in 1906, under whose auspices, 15 years later, he was to mount the first of his central Asian expeditions. This decade-long program of exploration took Andrews and his team into the heart of the Gobi, one of the last uncharted regions on earth. Convinced for ideological as much as scientific reasons that humans originated not in Africa but in Asia, Andrews spent much of his time in the field seeking evidence of early man. That search would prove fruitless, for, as biographer Charles Gallenkamp notes, "nary a scrap of genuinely ancient human bone was ever retrieved by the Central Asian Expeditions." What Andrews and his colleagues did find, however, has propelled dozens of scientific missions ever since: huge caches of dinosaur bones at places such as Mongolia's Flaming Cliffs. These fossils helped demonstrate geological connections between Asia and North America, and they added dozens of new species to the paleontological record. All the while, Andrews contended with bandits, corrupt officials, invading armies, disease, and other dangers. After finishing Gallenkamp's vigorous book, readers will understand why Andrews should have served as the model for the movie character Indiana Jones--who, if anything, pales by comparison to the real thing. --Gregory McNamee
Product Description
The New York Times science editor John Noble Wilford has called the Central Asiatic Expeditions (1922-1930) "the most celebrated . . . of the twentieth century." Led by world-renowned explorer Roy Chapman Andrews, the five expeditions uncovered unimagined scientific wonders: the Flaming Cliffs, dinosaur eggs, the first skeleton of Velociraptor (the terrifying killer of Jurassic Park fame), and a fossil treasure trove of other dinosaurs and extinct mammals.
In Dragon Hunter, Charles Gallenkamp vividly recounts these extraordinary adventures while telling Andrews's incredible life story-from his beginnings as a floor sweeper at the American Museum of Natural History to his international fame as one of the century's most acclaimed explorers. Filled with astonishing tales of political intrigue and braving the elements, Dragon Hunter is a thrilling page-turner that takes readers along on one of the most important scientific missions in history.
"Enormously entertaining." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Amazing stuff . . . an incredibly exciting life." (National Geographic Explorer)
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 20
 In the Days of the Dinosaur Hunters May 21, 2008
Skylark Thibedeau (Charlotte, NC USA, Terra, Solaris System, Milky Way Galaxy.)
The first book that I ever owned as a child growing up in Mississippi was Roy Chapman Andrews in the "Days of the Dinosaurs" a book about the terrible lizards for small children(looking at the copy today it is hopelessly out of date with Bakker's warm blooded "Jurrasic Park" creatures we know of now). I dreamed growing up of becoming a Laura Croft type adventurer traveling the vast sands of the Gobi to find the next new discovery. That Andrews may have been the model for Indiana Jones came as no surprise.
This book takes an unflattering look at Chapman's life and paints him somewhat as a racist and a boor. That is really unfair as that is the culture of that time between the world wars when the world was safe for the Western male. Chapman's adventures in the service of the Museaum of Natural History do hold your interest and paint a picture of a remarkable PR man and entertainer on a par with someone like PT Barnum.
His expedition to the Gobi did make many significant discoveries that advanced scientific knowledge of the age of reptiles the most important being the Protoceratops nest with Mother and Eggs.
I found it to be a well written biography and I am again taken back to my childhood dreams of becoming a dinosaur discoverer.
 The biograpy of a larger than life American Explorer July 31, 2007
Magalini Sabina (Rome Italy)
I sincerly confess not having known anything about Roy Chapman Andrews before reading Gallenkamp's fascinating biography. However, this book not only condenses practically all the facts of this 1920 explorer and naturalist's life, but also presents an enlightening panorama of the mentality, the political and economical situation and the cultural drives that allowed the Central Asiatic Expeditions.
Roy Chapman Andrews left quiet a few writings on all his feats, and the impression is that Gallenkamp has based his biography mostly on these, without examining thouroughly secondary fonts, such as coworkers, friends and relatives.
As I have understood reading the book RCA was a controversial figure even in his times. He incarnated the typical brash, conceited, aggressive and self assured, and might we say "racist" (?) "Americano all'estero" (American abroad) that was widely accepted and admired in his country, but lay a little indigested on the stomach of the Nations that had to put up with him. However, he had a will of iron and harboured together with his mentor Osborn "a great dream", backed up by sound American dollars and the technology that consented the ground breaking Central Asiatic Expeditions. Looking for the "Missing Link" between the apes and man in Mongolia, he actually found many species of then unknown dinosaurs and primitive mammals and assured the Museum of Natural History the greatest collection in the world of these specimens.
One of the strong points of this biography is the explanation of the technical characteristics of these expeditions. The revolutionary importance of the use of automobiles to explore the desert and how these had to be refurnished by caravans. Another very interesting aspect is the description of attitude of the American society of the 1920 toward scientific exploration and how it evolved during the Depression and after, together with the evolution of the situation in China and Mongolia.
If one has the curiosity to read some of Owen Lattimore's books, written just ten years after (The Desert Road to Turkestan, High Tartary, etc) the political situation becomes increasingly clear.
As has been justly underlined eventhough the book contains many beautiful photographs and drawings of dinosaurs, we do not learn much about zoology or the purely scientific aspects of Andrews discoveries.
As a period piece and biography this book is truely excellent, but it does leave a few questions unanswered stimulating the reader's curiosity to look for more information.
Overlooked Explorer... December 1, 2006
Daniel Spalinger (Hudson, NH)
Gallenkamp does a fine job of detailing Andrews explorations of Mongolia in search of the fossil record of a "missing link" in human evolution. Though failing to find this "missing link" the palentological discoveries he did make are still being poured over and examined today. The book serves and an excellent history of the Central Asiatic Expeditions but not as solid a job of being Andrew's biography...his personal life, feelings, ideas, and interactions are sidenotes as are his early and later years...Overall if you are interested in the discoveries he made and details of his expeditions then the book will fulfill its purpose, if you are looking for a more in depth study of Andrews this will leave you wanting...
The flaming cliffs January 26, 2005
Randy Cook (Newtown, PA United States)
This book tells the tale of Roy Chapman Andrews. He was an outdoors man, who talked his way into the American Museum of Natural History, and eventually becomes the director there. Andrews has the strong belief that the human race originated in Asia instead of the more common belief of Africa. Andrews is able to find backing to fund trips of Asia and Mongolia to find proof to back up his belief.
Even though the writing is a little dry, I found the subject to be very interesting. The details of the expeditions, how they were funded, supplied and got to the sites were fascinating. Dealing with the different governments in Asia, at a time of revolution, was also of interest.
I would have enjoyed more information into the science of the expeditions, but that may be a subject for a different book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the age of exploration. It is not a light read, but worth the time.
 many errors in there December 27, 2004
Ruribi (New York, NY USA)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Gallenkamp did a good job in bibliographic research, but please be careful when you read this book. Don't believe everything therein is true. I have noticed that there is a tremendous amount of inaccurate information included in text especially in accounts of Andrews' whaling trip to Japan (I am a native Japanese, so I know more about Japanese geography than him!) although most of the errors do not affect significantly the whole story of Andrews' life with a full of adventure.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 20
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