Jay Matternes’ magnificent body of work restores the ancient world to life, while celebrating Nature's infinite creative energy—from the parade of dinosaurs, woolly mammoths, and early hominins to the family dog.

—Donald Johanson, Founding Director, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University (Discoverer of early hominin "Lucy")

If the legendary Charles R. Knight can be considered the “Father of Paleoart”..., then Jay Matternes might be considered his direct successor, the most famous, respected, and influential paleoartist of the second half of the twentieth century. ... For this book, he provided hundreds of images from his treasure trove... just a sampling of his long career in paleoart and wildlife art.

And what a wonderful book it is! Gorgeously printed on glossy stock in large format, all the images are still awe-inspiring as they leap off page after colorful page. Milner helped to create an archive of nearly every aspect of Matternes’ art career, from his childhood sketches to many of his early studies, to dozens of paintings of living animals, to most of the stunning reconstructions of prehistoric humans done for National Geographic magazine, as well as for books by many famous paleoanthropologists, including Louis and Richard Leakey, Don Johanson, Tim White, and many others.

... In short, it’s hard to convey how much Matternes’ work has influenced not only paleoartists, but also virtually all the paleontologists and anthropologists who have grown up with his images informing their imaginations. As a paleontologist myself who dabbled a bit in paleoart, I cannot adequately express my own admiration for Matternes’ work, and how much it influenced my career. 

—Donald Prothero, Skeptic

Although his name is unknown to the general public, Jay Matternes: Paleoartist and Wildlife Painter has long been eagerly awaited by fans of his work. This book also serves as a “how to,” with dozens of studies revealing the artist’s thought processes in delineating both prehistoric and contemporary species. This book is essential for anyone who shares a passion for wildlife through the ages and its depiction. —William Stout, paleoartist and muralist

In this amazing new book, the splendid art of Jay Matternes is presented as never before. Long renowned for his meticulously researched and accurate depictions of early mammals, dinosaurs, and ancient humans, Matternes also excels at portraying today’s animals and historic indigenous peoples with astounding realism, intuition, and empathy. An unequaled treasure!—Mark Hallett, paleoartist and author

This beautiful book contains a long overdue collection of one of the world’s most iconic and groundbreaking wildlife and paleoartists. Jay Matternes has brought vanished worlds and extinct creatures back to life, and here are many of his previously unpublished wildlife paintings as well. I am absolutely thrilled to see this comprehensive compendium of his work finally come to fruition.—Ray Troll, artist and author