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Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum
written by Richard Fortey
Studio : HarperPress
by HarperPress
Publisher : HarperPress
Released : 2008-01-07
Availability : This Item is currently Not Available
EAN : 9780007209880
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 8 reviews)
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Anything but dry |
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"Dry Storeroom No. 1" is a lively, gossipy memoir of the author's lifetime working at the British Museum. I was intrigued by the resemblance of the characters to some of those I have myself experienced in working at a very different kind of museum. The author has managed to capture the humanity of his fellow-workers while sharing also their contributions to human understanding of the earth. |
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From a scientist's point of view |
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I noticed this book at our local library and decided to research it. After reading the first chapter online, I decided the book was perfect for my Paleontologist daughter. I could identify with the author on a personal level as I read of his obtaining, at a minimum, a PhD. in his field of Geology, to get his foot in the door. Fortey writes on a level for all to understand. As he himself writes in the book's forward, this is not a book to be read as a novel but to read portions as one's interest perks. As a professional, my daughter describes the book as fascinating and recommends it to all interested in the earth's sciences. |
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Reflections on the past, present and future state of nature in the human world |
London's Natural History Museum, a place of many treasures, offers many surprises - and natural scientist Richard Fortey provides tour of the museum unlocking not only its contents, but a lively history of the discipline itself. Chapters follow explorers, scientists, collection methods and categorization challenges, offering a fine blend of biography, natural science and museum collecting history, and reflections on the past, present and future state of nature in the human world.
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Uneven - Some good parts but it overstays its welcome |
This is a book I really wanted to like - I've always enjoyed museums and science and an inside look at one of the world's great museums sounded promising. Richard Fortey spent his entire adult life working at the British Natural History Museum and he has acquired a vast amount of anecdotes, history and experiences.
The book is a mix of museum history, science and sketches of the people who work or worked at the museum. Some parts are excellent while others are boring or repetitive. Halfway through the book I grew bored with portrait after portrait of a museum employee who had spent their life studying some family of obscure critters. In addition, he seems to go on and on trying to justify the importance of his work and reminiscing about how things were better in the good old days; when he was young the museum employees were left to their own devices, when he was young nobody could be fired no matter how obnoxious or unproductive they were, when he was young they didn't have to seek funding for projects, when he was young they didn't have to make the museum entertaining to visitors. The book might have worked better as a series of essays (in the mold of Stephen Jay Gould) rather than a 300 page paean to the good old days.
All in all, it reminded me of being cornered at a family reunion by an aged relative who goes on an on about all the details of his or her life.
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The Museum, the Scientists and their Specimens |
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About a month ago, (September 2008) I had a chance to hear Richard Fortey himself lecturing about this book. The lecture, very fittingly, was happening in a natural history museum. As his lecture unfolded, I found myself with many of the most interesting characters that have ever contributed to natural history, both famous and obscure. I also learned about what goes on behind the scenes of the museum, and of some of the many interesting and strange specimens which are not on display, such as an "accursed amethyst" and the famous rock from Mars which is said by some to contain fossils. After the lecture was over, I went home and started reading the book, and found the written account of these things and people to be just as engaging as it was to hear Richard Fortey speaking. It is like recieving your own guided tour through the Natural History Museum of London, and even through the history of natural history. Richard Fortey shows that scientists can be very eccentric and unusual characters, in spite of their stereotype of being very dry and boring. All in all, this is an excellent book which chronicles the history of the museum, the people who make it go, and the specimens which are stored inside it. I recommend this book to anyone who has wondered what goes on inside the hearts of museums, and also to people who are interested in natural history. You will finish this book knowing much about the "behind the scenes" of museums. |
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