The concept of dinosaurs didn’t come about until the latter half of the 19th century as people never imagined that the earth, or the species which populated it, were ever much different than what they saw in front of them. Although gigantic bones had been found in the ground throughout human history, it took the ideas of extinction and evolution to realize that those bones were of a world long past. The majority of this book is about the fossil hunters; both the scientifically minded men digging in the ground and the wealthy men funding their expeditions, hoping to make a name for themselves by amassing the most impressive collection for their museum. While Randall surely picked the most interesting character to center his story around, he fails to deliver on the “Shook the World” aspect of his title. He compares the Bone Wars to a gold rush (perhaps unfairly), discusses the increase in museum visits, and recounts the introduction of dinosaurs and the T. Rex into popular culture but really falls short in describing how it would fundamentally change people’s concept of the past and enhanced our imagination. It’s a short read with a few unnecessary sidetracks into things like Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle, but will appeal to those interested in dinosaurs or paleontology.