Rudolph Zallinger's 110-foot (33.5-meter) fresca secco painting of The Age of Reptiles is one of the largest natural history murals in the world. Completed in 1947, it is an overview of prehistoric life told through the principal features and concepts of The Age of Reptiles. The mural has defined our view of the prehistoric world, and continues to teach, inform and spark the imagination of thousands of visitors that walk through the Yale Peabody Museum's Great Hall each year, as well as to admirers around the world over through countless reproductions in publications and textbooks.

This second edition of the Peabody's guide to Zallinger's masterwork is a compilation of earlier material and new information-including Vincent Scully's classic essay on the mural's place in the history of art-contributed by the staff and scientists of the Yale Peabody Museum. Filled with full color illustrations throughout, the concealed spiral paperback includes updated descriptions and identifying illustrations of the animals and plants depicted in the mural keyed to a 12 page foldout full-color poster that is bound into the book.