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Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum

Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum

Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum
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Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum

by FORTEY, Richard

  • Used
Condition
Very Good/Very Good
ISBN 10
0007209886
ISBN 13
9780007209880
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About This Item

London: HarperCollins Publishers. Very Good/Very Good. 2008. Hard Cover. 8vo 0007209886 Dust jacket complete, unclipped. Original cloth boards with bright gilt titling on spine. No ownership marks. Illustrates colour end papers. Illustrations. Colour and b/w plates. 338 pages clean and tight. ‘Dry Store Room No. 1’ is an intimate biography of the Natural History Museum, celebrating the eccentric personalities who have peopled it and capturing the wonders of scientific endeavour, academic rigour and imagination. ‘This book is a kind of museum of the mind. It is my own collection, a personal archive, designed to explain what goes on behind the polished doors in the Natural History Museum. The lustre of a museum does not depend only on the artefacts or objects it contains – the people who work out of sight are what keeps a museum alive…I want to bring those invisible people into the sunlight.’ Behind the public façade of any great museum there lies a secret domain: one of unseen galleries, locked doors, priceless specimens and hidden lives. Through the stories of the numerous eccentric individuals whose long careers have left their mark on the study of evolutionary science, Richard Fortey, former senior paleaontologist at London's Natural History Museum, celebrates the pioneering work of the Museum from its inception to the present day. He delves into the feuds, affairs, scandals and skulduggery that have punctuated its long history, and formed a backdrop to extraordinary scientific endeavour. He explores the staying power and adaptability of the Museum as it responds to changes wrought by advances in technology and molecular biology – ‘spare’ bones from an extinct giant bird suddenly become cutting-edge science with the new knowledge that DNA can be extracted from them, and ancient fish are tested with the latest equipment that is able to measure rises in pollution. 'Dry Store Room No. 1' is a fascinating and affectionate account of a hidden world of untold treasures, where every fragment tells a story about time past, by a scientist who combines rigorous professional learning with a gift for prose that sparkles with wit and literary sensibility. .

Synopsis

A remarkable behind-the-scenes look at the extraordinary people, meticulous research, and driving passions that make London's Natural History Museum one of the world's greatest institutions.In an elegant and illuminating narrative, Richard Fortey takes his readers to a place where only a few privileged scientists, curators, and research specialists have been--the hallowed halls that hold the permanent collection of the Natural History Museum. Replete with fossils, jewels, rare plants, and exotic species, Fortey's walk through offers an intimate view of many of the premiere scientific accomplishments of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. Like looking into the mind of mankind and all the fascinating discoveries, ideas, and accomplishments that reside there, Fortey's tour is utterly entertaining from first to last.From the Trade Paperback edition.

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Details

Bookseller
CHARLES BOSSOM GB (GB)
Bookseller's Inventory #
145056
Title
Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum
Author
FORTEY, Richard
Format/Binding
Hard Cover
Book Condition
Used - Very Good/Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10
0007209886
ISBN 13
9780007209880
Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers
Place of Publication
London
Date Published
2008

Terms of Sale

CHARLES BOSSOM

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About the Seller

CHARLES BOSSOM

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2010
ELY, Cambridgeshire

About CHARLES BOSSOM

Charles Bossom has worked in the Book Trade since 1963, commencing at WH Smith Oxford and retiring in 1999 as Regional Manager Central England. The Charles Bossom bookselling business was started in early 2000. We offer a changing selection of old and out-of-print books in a wide range of subjects. We frequently add new items to our stock so visit us regularly.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Tight
Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
Gilt
The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
Cloth
"Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
Spine
The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
Jacket
Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
New
A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...

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