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    Tyrannosaurus Sue: The Extraordinary Saga of the Largest, Most Fought Over T-Rex Ever Found
    Tyrannosaurus Sue: The Extraordinary Saga of the Largest, Most Fought Over T-Rex Ever Found
    Tyrannosaurus Sue: The Extraordinary Saga of the Largest, Most Fought Over T-Rex Ever Found
    Audiobook9 hours

    Tyrannosaurus Sue: The Extraordinary Saga of the Largest, Most Fought Over T-Rex Ever Found

    Written by Steve Fiffer

    Narrated by Jim Bond

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Over 65 million years ago in what is now South Dakota, a battle-scarred Tyrannosaurus rex matriarch―perhaps mortally wounded in a ferocious fight―fell into the riverbed and died. In 1990 her skeleton was found, virtually complete, in what many have called the most spectacular dinosaur fossil discovery to date.

    And then another battle began—a "survival of the fittest" free-for-all involving commercial dinosaur hunters, gun-toting law officers, an ambitious federal prosecutor, a Native American tribe, jealous academics, an enterprising auction house, major museums, and corporate giants, all making their claim for the dinosaur named Sue. Before it was over, there would be claims and counterclaims; charges of checkbook-polluted science, criminal larceny, and vengeful prosecutions; and devastating prison terms. And the gavel would come down on the largest-ever ($8.36 million) auction price tag for a fossil, paid by Chicago's Field Museum, with help from Disney and McDonald's.

    Capturing the whole range of characters and issues embroiled in the fight for Sue, author Steve Fiffer communicates both the excitement over Sue's discovery and the motivations, maneuverings, and absurdities of the various forces attempting to control her destiny.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMay 16, 2017
    ISBN9781543612554
    Tyrannosaurus Sue: The Extraordinary Saga of the Largest, Most Fought Over T-Rex Ever Found
    Author

    Steve Fiffer

    Steve Fiffer is a lawyer, journalist, and the author of the recently published Three Quarters, Two Dimes & A Nickel. He co-authored, with Morris Dees, two books: A Season for Justice, and Hate on Trial, which was a 1993 New York Times Notable Book of the Year. He lives with his wife, Sharon, and their three children in Evanston, Illinois.

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    Reviews for Tyrannosaurus Sue

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      A great book. While the end result of Sue being in Chicago, at least she isn’t in a private (never to be seen) collection. Whenever the guberment is involved, people get hurt in many ways. This tale proves greed is alive and doing well and that’s a shame. I recommend this book as it’s very informative.
    • 5/5
      An excellent summary of the events surrounding Sue. The author did an admirable job of presenting the facts without putting too much personal bias in the story.
    • 4/5
      The amazing true story of the most famous fossil in the world, a T-Rex named Sue. Sue's discovery seemed like a lucky break, but these ancient bones would all but curse the career of those who painstakingly dug her up. More then that, they would become the focal point of a massive dispute between the U.S. government, Sioux tribal law, and the commercial collection team that excavated the original find. Just who truly owns Sue? And perhaps more importantly, who will wind up with her in the end?
    • 5/5
      What an interesting book!!! Sue is the largest complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Named Sue after the paleontologist who found her in the South Dakota bad lands.She is quoted as saying that the dinosaur called to her. She walked seven miles and found the bones embedded in the soil.This is a story of not only finding the mega fossil, but the major happenings that occurred as a result of fighting mainly with the federal government over ownership, as well as Native Americans, and a man who owned the land. A friend and fellow lover of discovery, was jailed for two years because he fought over the right of ownership.In the end, Sue was placed on auction by Sotheby's in New York City. With the financial support of McDonalds and Disney, when the gavel was finally hit, the total for this incredible discovery was 8.3 million dollars.Sue is displayed at the Field Museum in Chicago. The journey of 65 million years from when Sue rested in the cretaceous earth, discovered, battled over viciously, she now is housed in a museum where millions can discover her history, this was a fascinating story.
    • 4/5
      An entertaining tale about Sue and her history. This book delves into the paleontology's origins and more distant past as well as the specific struggles regarding Sue. This context was entertaining and enlightening. Keeping all the players and the timing for this story straight was a bit difficult and I think it could have used a timeline and a "cast of characters" to help keep things straightforward. Another improvement would be to have waited until Sue was actually on display in the Field museum to publish the book - I was shocked to get to the end of the book and realize it was speaking in future tense about Sue's unveiling. Given that it was only supposed to be a few months away, what was the rush? (I imagine the author and/or publisher wanted the book out in time to be bought during the publicity surrounding her unveiling, or perhaps this was even published in conjunction with it, but either way - it felt off to me.)Altogether, though, this is an enjoyable book about an interesting subject.
    • 3/5
      The book tells the story of Sue, from unearthing, preparing, and through the legal battle that determined her ownership. The book got off to a slow start. It felt like a science text with too much information and too little story. Throughout the book, the author told historical stories of famous paleontologists, like Marsh and Andrews. Although the stories are interesting, they are not new to people familiar with the histories, and only lied loosely to the main plot. I felt they were more filler than information. About half-way through the book, it improved. This started with the seizure of the fossils. Leading into the court case, the book improved as it detailed the different positions and justifications for actions and ownership, although many seemed only motivated by profit. Even outside of the scope of the court case, many paleontologists, and even the SVP (The Society for Vertebrate Paleontology) voiced in with their opinions. The government was portrayed mostly in a poor light. They seized Sue, yet never used her in the actual case. One felt they were attacking Larson more to make an example of him than a just pursuit of a criminal. The reader feels his is guilty, but his actions were reasonable and justified. He didn't deserve any prison time.
    • 5/5
      This is a great example of the folly principle as explained by Barbara Tuchman, that I have found. Our government proves once again that they can't let go when they taek the wrong tack on something.