Printed Map Features
36" Width x 24" Height
Printed on Heavyweight Paper
Individually signed by the Original Designer
Each map is unique with a handwritten serial number from 0001 to 1111 inclusive
Learn About Dinosaurs
Each map has a QR code that links to our dinosaur glossary
Build curiosity about art, science, history, and geography
Dinosaurs are alphabetized at the bottom to scale against human size
Authenticity
After Langenscheidt closed its U.S. division in 2010, copies of the 2003 map containing errors, typos, and outdated facts started selling on the web without permission or attribution.
The 1111 signed prints sold here are directly from the Original Designer, updated to 2023 changes in geography and knowledge.
Dinosaur Map's Story
When I was a young father of two boys, we watched the original Jurassic Park Trilogy on VCR. After watching Jurassic Park III, my boys asked so many questions about dinosaurs. They asked what types of dinosaurs were in the world, where they lived, what they ate, how big they were, and so many other questions.
Back in 2001, I was working as the sole designer in the U.S. division of Langenscheidt, a German publishing company that bought Hammond maps in 1999. My job's primary responsibilities were in printed maps cover design, layout, and creating materials for sales & marketing. This was before GPS and Google Maps so every driver needed a physical map.
Inspired by my sons' questions about dinosaurs, I pitched to management the idea to create a dinosaur world map. The goal was to give my sons a satisfactory answer and also spread their love of dinosaurs to other children around the world. Starting in 2002, I worked tirelessly to bring vision of the map to reality. As a classical artist by training, I enhanced the dinosaur sketches using color pencils on the physical picture and photoshop. To avoid the high cost of $600 per scan for drum scanning, we bought our first Epson flatbed scanner and successfully scanned all 35 of the hand-drawn dinosaurs.
When the map was released in early 2003, it was sold in all major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and in museums such as the Museum of Natural History. The management, sales, and marketing coworkers were so happy they told me that the map was "selling like hotcakes". With English as my third language, I had to look up in the company's printed Langensheidt dictionaries to learn that a hotcake is a pancake.
When I showed the completed Dinosaur Map to my sons, they were overjoyed. They memorized every single dinosaur on the map and the countries they lived in. When we rewatched Jurassic Park, they were able to identify most of the dinosaurs in the movies. It inspired my sons and sparked their curiosity in art, science, history, and geography.
Thank you for reading,
Yang Zhao
Photos from 2003
From left to right, top to bottom:
- Yang Zhao, original designer of the Dinosaur Map
- Drawing together
- A Dinosaur Map inspired drawing
- A drawing in progress
Signed Limited Prints
There are only 1,111 prints available to be sold. Each print is individually signed by the original designer, Yang Zhao. It includes a handwritten unique serial number, signature, and letter of authenticity personalized to you. An example serial number written on the map is 0001 / 1111.
For each print sold, the serial number will increment by 1. For example, if print 0023 was just sold, the next print delivered will have serial number 0024.
Each map is professionally printed on heavyweight paper in the USA. Prints will be delivered rolled up in professional packaging so that the map will be in mint condition upon delivery.