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A review by cmbohn
Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey
4.0
Themes: natural history, conservation, research, weird science
Setting: The Natural History Museum in London, England
Ever read books where they talk about going up to the British Museum for the day? Well, the British Museum is now the Natural History Museum (and a few other spin-offs) and Fortey takes the reader behind the scenes for an insider's view on what really goes on in such a huge museum.
Fortey started his career as a biologist back when the museum was a slightly stuffier and more serious place, and only retired a few years ago, by which time the museum had become more of an attraction and began updating exhibits to attract paying guests. But the focus remains on the science. However, his book isn't really just about the history of the museum, its contributions to English scientific understanding and so on, but rather his own experiences, acquaintances, his explorations of all the hidden little corners of the vast building, and the gossip about the many folks who work there.
And what juicy gossip there is! You wouldn't think that there would be much room for racy anecdotes among the dry and serious types who work at the museum, but wow, you would be so wrong. This and the Shakespeare book both convince me that gossip was much more interesting before it started revolving around which celebrity was sleeping with whom, which had an eating disorder, and who is feuding with whom.
For his format, he starts with the collections of the museum, from mammals and plants and insects (lots of great stories there) to minerals and then the nuts and bolts of how such a place is run and what it takes to keep it going. The book is full of quirky personalities, which makes it so much more fun to read. He does stick his own opinions in there about evolution and religion, about the need to preserve every single species no matter how obscure, about the damage human beings are doing to the planet, about his political views, but he keeps those parts fairly brief and gets on with the more interesting stories of people he has met and colorful characters from the museum's past. I really enjoyed one. Recommended.
Setting: The Natural History Museum in London, England
Ever read books where they talk about going up to the British Museum for the day? Well, the British Museum is now the Natural History Museum (and a few other spin-offs) and Fortey takes the reader behind the scenes for an insider's view on what really goes on in such a huge museum.
Fortey started his career as a biologist back when the museum was a slightly stuffier and more serious place, and only retired a few years ago, by which time the museum had become more of an attraction and began updating exhibits to attract paying guests. But the focus remains on the science. However, his book isn't really just about the history of the museum, its contributions to English scientific understanding and so on, but rather his own experiences, acquaintances, his explorations of all the hidden little corners of the vast building, and the gossip about the many folks who work there.
And what juicy gossip there is! You wouldn't think that there would be much room for racy anecdotes among the dry and serious types who work at the museum, but wow, you would be so wrong. This and the Shakespeare book both convince me that gossip was much more interesting before it started revolving around which celebrity was sleeping with whom, which had an eating disorder, and who is feuding with whom.
For his format, he starts with the collections of the museum, from mammals and plants and insects (lots of great stories there) to minerals and then the nuts and bolts of how such a place is run and what it takes to keep it going. The book is full of quirky personalities, which makes it so much more fun to read. He does stick his own opinions in there about evolution and religion, about the need to preserve every single species no matter how obscure, about the damage human beings are doing to the planet, about his political views, but he keeps those parts fairly brief and gets on with the more interesting stories of people he has met and colorful characters from the museum's past. I really enjoyed one. Recommended.