Creatures of Another Age

Book excerpt: The discovery of fossils of extinct species like the pterodactyl, iguanodon, and woolly mammoth during the nineteenth century caused an upheaval in the scientific world and challenged long-held religious beliefs about the creation and history of the world. But it also sparked the imaginations of countless writers, and it wasn't long before these prehistoric monsters began to appear in stories of adventure, science fiction, fantasy, and horror, as well as in more surprising forms, such as a ballad sung by an ichthyosaurus or a mock Elizabethan verse drama with a cast of primordial creatures. This volume collects some of the most fascinating Victorian writing on dinosaurs and other prehistoric monsters, including stories, poems, drama, and essays, and features contributions by well known names like Arthur Conan Doyle, George Sand, and Jack London, along with many other once-popular but now-forgotten writers, and includes a new introduction by Richard Fallon.