About this item
In 1872, a young graduate of Yale University named Thomas Russell unearthed the bones of an 83,000,000-year-old dinosaur in western Kansas. The rare fossil, an avian dinosaur with teeth and flightless wings, proved that birds evolved from reptiles. More than a century later, Russell's great-granddaughter set out to retrace her ancestor's forgotten expedition. Part detective history, part memoir, For Want of Wings is Jill Hunting's captivating account of her journey into prehistory, national history, and family history. In her quest to piece together fragments of her family's past, Hunting ends up crisscrossing the United States, from California to Connecticut. On her first trip across the Colorado Rockies to the fossil bed site near Russell Springs, Kansas, Hunting brings along her then twenty-six-year-old daughter.
About the Author
Released February 2022 by the University of Oklahoma Press: A BIRD WITH TEETH AND A DINOSAUR IN THE FAMILY by Jill HuntingIn 1872, a young graduate of Yale University named Thomas Russell unearthed the bones of an 83,000,000-year-old dinosaur in western Kansas. The rare fossil, an avian dinosaur with teeth and flightless wings, proved that birds evolved from reptiles. More than a century later, Russell's great-granddaughter set out to retrace her ancestor's forgotten expedition. Part detective history, part memoir, FOR WANT OF WINGS is Jill's captivating account of her journey into prehistory, national history, and family history. A former food and wine editor, Jill is the editor of the STONE EDGE FARM COOKBOOK, winner of the Book of the Year and Best First Cookbook/Julia Child awards from the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She is the author of FINDING PETE: REDISCOVERING THE BROTHER I LOST IN VIETNAM, the story of Jill's investigation into her brother's death in Vietnam in 1965. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's Vietnam War series for PBS featured Pete in episode 2.
