It has been 65 million years since dinosaurs last roamed the earth. That changed in the summer of 2003 when Pittsburgh became a real-life "Jurassic Park"-with a twist. The city played host to DinoMite Days, coordinated by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, a public art exhibition of brightly painted and creatively decorated fiberglass dinosaurs. Dinosaurs of Distinction tells the story of the event, and the one hundred sculptures that populated Pittsburgh"s streets, office buildings, parks, plazas, and gardens. The book is filled with color photographs, along with information about each dinosaur"s artist and the name of each corporate "sponsaur." Now that the beasts have been auctioned off for charity in the fall, the book also serves as the perfect keepsake of that brief return of dinosaurs to western Pennsylvania. Modeled after the immensely popular outdoor art exhibitions of cows, horses, pigs, and other animal sculptures in Chicago, New York, and other North American cities, this exhibition was the first to feature fiberglass models of dinosaurs, a choice that celebrates Pittsburgh"s international reputation for scientific discovery and innovation by drawing attention to the world-class dinosaur collection housed at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Three different species, Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus, and Torosaurus, were represented. DinoMite Days decorated Pittsburgh with a colorful display of local artistry, fueling the imaginations and delighting the senses of both children and adults. Dinosaurs of Distinction documents the artistic process that led to the creation of these Mesozoic marvels, and provides interesting and relevant dinosaur facts that tie each design back to Carnegie Museum of Natural History"s remarkable paleontology collections. Founded in 1895, Carnegie Museum of Natural History ranks among the six largest natural history museums in the United States. Home of the world"s third-largest repository of dinosaur fossils, the museum contains one of the world"s greatest collections of publicly displayed dinosaur skeletons.