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S12E02 Writing with Dinosaurs

February 25, 2026 · 1 h 6 min

Show notes

This is available to watch on youtube here: https://youtu.be/R-GgkboCjA8

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We have talked plenty about dinosaurs in pop culture, including in movies, but this is hardly a modern phenomenon. Dinosaurs were getting into the mainstream almost as soon as they appeared on the scientific scene and have a rich history in novels, and short stories. This week we are joined by Richard Fallon, a historian specialising in science in literature and with a particular interest in prehistoric animals in this context. Richard and Dave recently wrote a book chapter on the odds parallels between Jurassic Park and Michael Crichton and the Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle. Having won a prize for this ("Doylean Honors" from the ACD Society!) we though it a great time to sit down with Richard and talk about dinosaurs and other ancient reptiles in fiction and how this has changed over time.

Here's some of Richard's collective works:

Creatures of Another Age: https://www.valancourtbooks.com/creatures-of-another-age.html

Contesting Earth's History in Transatlantic Literary Culture, 1860–1935: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Contesting-History-Transatlantic-Literary-1860-1935/dp/0198926162/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

Reimagining Dinosaurs in Late Victorian and Edwardian Literature: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reimagining-Dinosaurs-Victorian-Edwardian-Literature/dp/1108984398/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4n1IVVZf74mbQ0RyFryuMDimH9ZiV04X3glC8p-KfT8.D618IUFHF0G27P0maCF82yXIjgZs_wzvKoA6n0yiz4Y&qid=1770283675&sr=8-1

And you can follow him on Bluesky: @richardfallon.bsky.social

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