How was Tyrannosaurus rex toppled from the apex of creation? Sixty-five million years ago, there was an apocalyptic collision between the earth and a gigantic comet or asteroid. Increasingly, evidence suggests that the impact, which itself took less time than it takes to read this paragraph, triggered the dinosaurs rapid demise. Now Walter Alvarez, a geologist closely associated with the catastrophic theory of dinosaur extinction, makes his case in a gripping work that is both a scientific detective story and a convincing account of "one terrible day in the history of the Earth". Alvarez painstakingly assembles clues from the Italian Apennines to the Yucatan Peninsula and presents them with clarity and suspense. The result is a book of irresistible appeal and undeniable importance by a major figure in contemporary science.

"An estimable account by the world's leading authority on death from above". -- The New York Times Book Review

"First-rate...Alvarez provides the up-close tale of the comet or asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs". -- San Francisco Chronicle