American Monster: How The Nation's First Prehistoric Creature Became A Symbol Of National Identity (without dust jacket): how the nation's first prehistoric creature became a symbol of national identity

The Story

It was huge, a ferocious carnivore capable of catching deer and elk with its long trunk and crushing them in its giant grinders. It lived right there in the Hudson River Valley. And no place else in the world had anything to match it. Such were the thoughts about the first complete mastodon skeleton excavated in 1801, before dinosaurs were discovered and the notion of geologic time acquired currency. Oregon- based natural historian Semonin traces the evangelical beliefs, Englightenment thought, and Indian myths about the extinct creatures from 1705 through US independence. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A hardcover edition from 2000 of American Monster: How The Nation's First Prehistoric Creature Became A Symbol Of National Identity (without dust jacket) by Paul Semonin. It runs to 483 pages, in very good condition. We hold one copy, so once it is gone it is gone. Shelved under Reference & Education. Wrapped with care for collectors and shipped from Kuwait.