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Nature's Memory
Behind the Scenes at the World’s Natural History Museums
Brief Description
An affectionate and eye-opening insider's guide to the world's great natural history museums. In Nature's Memory, zoologist Jack Ashby shares hidden stories behind the world's iconic natural history museums, from enormous mounted whale skeletons to cabinets of impossibly tiny insects. Look closely and all is not...
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Description
An affectionate and eye-opening insider's guide to the world's great natural history museums.
In Nature's Memory, zoologist Jack Ashby shares hidden stories behind the world's iconic natural history museums, from enormous mounted whale skeletons to cabinets of impossibly tiny insects.
Look closely and all is not as it seems—these museums are not as natural, Ashby shows us, as we might think. Mammals dominate the displays, for example, even though they make up less than 1 percent of species; there are many more male specimens than females; and often a museum's most popular draw—the dinosaur skeletons—are not actually real. Over 99 percent of museum collections are held in immense, unseen storehouses. And it's becoming clear that these institutions have not been as honest about their complex histories as they should be. Yet natural history museums are also the only museums that can save the world—it is just starting to be understood that their vast collections are indispensable resources in the fight against biodiversity loss and climate catastrophe.
Weaving together fresh historical research with surprising insights, Nature's Memory is a love letter to the joys, eccentricities, and planet-saving potential of the world's best-loved museums.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780241656884
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 24 April 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Allen Lane
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 30.0mm
Width: 163.0mm
Height: 242.0mm
Weight: 543g
Pages: 336
About the Author
Jack Ashby is the Assistant Director of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, an honorary research fellow in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at University College London, and the President of the Society for the History of Natural History. He is the author of Platypus Matters- The Extraordinary Story of Australian Mammals and Animal Kingdom- A Natural History in 100 Objects, and winner of the Zoological Society of London's award for communicating zoology. He lives in Hertfordshire.
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Platypus Matters
Winner of the Whitley Award for Best Natural History Book 2022 A compelling, funny, first-hand account of Australia's wonderfully unique mammals and how our perceptions impact their future. Think of a platypus: they lay eggs (that hatch into so-called platypups), they produce milk without nipples and venom without fangs, and they can detect electricity. Or consider a wombat: their teeth...Paperback$2600Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Wild
Explore the rich diversity of the animal kingdom!Meet dozens of creatures with extraordinary abilities, then understand how they have adapted to thrive in the wild. Discover the endless teeth of a great white shark, learn how bats can 'see' in the dark and understand why gentoo penguins are so cleverly coloured.Written by award-winning zoology writer Jack Ashby and illustrated by...Hardback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Pre-orderNature's Memory
An affectionate and eye-opening insider's guide to the world's great natural history museums. In Nature's Memory, zoologist Jack Ashby shares hidden stories behind the world's iconic natural history museums, from enormous mounted whale skeletons to cabinets of impossibly tiny insects. Look closely and all is not as it seems—these museums are not as natural, Ashby shows us, as we might...Paperback$3200Unit price /UnavailableOut 28 Jul 2026Pre-order
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