Armored dinosaurs were some of the earliest dinosaurs named, including the ankylosaur Hylaeosaurus in 1833 and Stegosaurus in 1877. But these armored dinosaurs, or thyreophorans, have been the least studied group because they lack the visceral appeal of Tyrannosaurus and the fossil abundance of ceratopsians and hadrosaurs. The incredible diversity of armored dinosaurs has only recently been appreciated: the discovery of new stegosaurs in the Jurassic of China and the United States, and of new ankylosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous of North America have led to renewed interest in thyreophorans. The Armored Dinosaurs brings together the latest studies by an international group of dinosaur paleontologists and provides descriptions of the original specimens of Hyaleosaurus and Stegosaurus, names new thyreophorans, and redescribes historically important specimens from Europe. The contributors are Paul M. Barrett, John Bird, William T. Blows, Don Burge, Kenneth Carpenter, H. Trevor Clifford, Karen Cloward, Margery C. Coombs, Rodolfo A. Corio, Philip J. Currie, Tracy L. Ford, Peter M. Galton, Robert W. Gaston, James I. Kirkland, Martin G. Lockley, Richard T. McCrea, Lorrie A. McWhinney, Christian A. Meyer, Clifford A. Miles, Ralph E. Molnar, David B. Norman, Paul Penkalski, Xabier Pereda Suberbiola, Bruce M. Rothschild, A. P. Russell, N. Rybczynski, Leonardo Salgado, Jennifer Schellenbach, and M. K. Vickaryous.