The Unnatural History Museum

Author : Viktor Wynd
Publisher : National Geographic Books
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2020-03-10
Category : Art
ISBN : 9783791385198

Get Book

The Unnatural History Museum by Viktor Wynd Pdf

Viktor Wynd, master of the contemporary Wunderkabinett, is back with a collection of artifacts and curiosities that are more bizarre and wonderful than ever. For over a decade, from a tiny storefront in east London, the artist Viktor Wynd has been reinventing the cabinet of curiosities for the 21st century. The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & UnNatural History is now one of the city's most tantalizing tourist destinations. Wynd first introduced his worldview in the book Viktor Wynd's Cabinet of Wonders, which John Waters called "an insanely delightful how-to guide...told with lunatic humor and absolute joy." In this new volume, he takes readers on a tour inside his mildly-twisted mind, delving deeper into his philosophy of collecting, and describing personal connections to the objects he treasures. Written in his trademark charismatic style, which blends whimsical stories with odd facts and obscure references, this book is filled with lavish and theatrical photographs and drawings. Loosely organized into thematic chapters, it ponders the beauty of skulls and masks; explores beasts, freaks, monsters, fairies, and mermaids; covers magical plants, hallucinogens, erotica, and dandies; and dips into the world of the occult. This might not be a book for everyone. However, it is a book everyone interested in cabinets of curiosities should have on their shelf.

Author : Terence Bumbly
Publisher : Figment
Page : 136 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2009-04
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780980585001

Get Book

The Museum of Unnatural History by Terence Bumbly Pdf

One of the most impressive collections of unnatural history of all time - as eclectic as the universe and as strange as life itself. Built by the enigmatic Terence Brumby in the 25th century, the Museum of Unnatural History was a living catalogue of what humans created after ethical constraints were removed. With dry humour and masterful understatement, Bumbly explores the ethical dilemmas and unimaginable extremes of human ingenuity that resulted from unchecked technological, biological and social advances. Lavishly illustrated throughout with drawings from Bumbly's notebooks.

Author : Neil Gaiman
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2013-06-13
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9781408845455

Get Book

Unnatural Creatures by Neil Gaiman Pdf

The griffin, the sunbird, manticores, unicorns – all manner of glorious creatures never captured in zoos, museums or photographs are packed vividly into this collection of stories. Neil Gaiman has included some of his own childhood favourites alongside stories classic and modern to spark the imagination of readers young and old. All contributors have given their work free to benefit Dave Eggers' literacy charity, 826DC. Also includes a new Neil Gaiman Story.

Author : Dan Greenburg
Publisher : Turtleback Books
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2002-02
Category : Mummies
ISBN : 061350089X

Get Book

Trapped in the Museum of Unnatural History by Dan Greenburg Pdf

It seems like a regular field trip to a natural history museum - until Zack gets locked inside for the night and discovers what really goes on in those display cases when no one is watching

Author : Elizabeth Kolbert
Publisher : Henry Holt and Company
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2014-02-11
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780805099799

Get Book

The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert Pdf

ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A major book about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. This time around, the cataclysm is us. In The Sixth Extinction, two-time winner of the National Magazine Award and New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert draws on the work of scores of researchers in half a dozen disciplines, accompanying many of them into the field: geologists who study deep ocean cores, botanists who follow the tree line as it climbs up the Andes, marine biologists who dive off the Great Barrier Reef. She introduces us to a dozen species, some already gone, others facing extinction, including the Panamian golden frog, staghorn coral, the great auk, and the Sumatran rhino. Through these stories, Kolbert provides a moving account of the disappearances occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy; as Kolbert observes, it compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.

Author : Stephen T. Asma
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 369 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2011-09
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9780199798094

Get Book

On Monsters by Stephen T. Asma Pdf

"A comprehensive modern-day bestiary."--The New Yorker

Author : Judith S Weis,Carol A Butler
Publisher : Rutgers University Press
Page : 347 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2009-07-16
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780813548517

Get Book

Salt Marshes by Judith S Weis,Carol A Butler Pdf

Tall green grass. Subtle melodies of songbirds. Sharp whines of muskrats. Rustles of water running through the grasses. And at low tide, a pungent reminder of the treasures hidden beneath the surface.All are vital signs of the great salt marshes' natural resources. Now championed as critical habitats for plants, animals, and people because of the environmental service and protection they provide, these ecological wonders were once considered unproductive wastelands, home solely to mosquitoes and toxic waste, and mistreated for centuries by the human population. Exploring the fascinating biodiversity of these boggy wetlands, Salt Marshes offers readers a wealth of essential information about a variety of plants, fish, and animals, the importance of these habitats, consequences of human neglect and thoughtless development, and insight into how these wetlands recover. Judith S. Weis and Carol A. Butler shed ample light on the human impact, including chapters on physical and biological alterations, pollution, and remediation and recovery programs. In addition to a national and global perspective, the authors place special emphasis on coastal wetlands in the Atlantic and Gulf regions, as well as the San Francisco Bay Area, calling attention to their historical and economic legacies. Written in clear, easy-to-read language, Salt Marshes proves that the battles for preservation and conservation must continue, because threats to salt marshes ebb and flow like the water that runs through them.

Author : Gavin Ehringer
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2017-12-05
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781681776064

Get Book

Leaving the Wild: The Unnatural History of Dogs, Cats, Cows, and Horses by Gavin Ehringer Pdf

A thought-provoking and surprising book that explores the ever-evolving relationship between humans and domesticated animals. The domestication of animals changed the course of human history. But what about the animals who abandoned their wild existence in exchange for our care and protection? Domestication has proven to be a wildly successful survival strategy. But this success has not been without its drawbacks. A modern dairy cow’s daily energy output equals that of a Tour de France rider. Feral cats overpopulate urban areas. And our methods of breeding horses and dogs have resulted in debilitating and sometimes lethal genetic diseases. But these problems and more can be addressed, if we have the will and the compassion. Human values and choices determine an animal’s lot in life even before he or she is born. Just as a sculptor’s hands shape clay, so human values shape our animals—for good and or ill. The little-examined, yet omnipresent act of breeding lies at the core of Gavin Ehringer's eye-opening book. You’ll meet cows cloned from steaks, a Quarter horse stallion valued at $7.5 million, Chinese dogs that glow in the dark, and visit a Denver cat show featuring naked cats and other cuddly mutants. Is this what the animals bargained for all those millennia ago, when they first joined us by the fire?

Author : Jan Bondeson
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 332 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2014-07-02
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781501722271

Get Book

The Feejee Mermaid and Other Essays in Natural and Unnatural History by Jan Bondeson Pdf

In his new collection of essays, Jan Bondeson tells ten fascinating stories of myths and hoaxes, beliefs and Ripley-like facts, concerning the animal kingdom. Throughout he recounts—and in some instances solves—mysteries of the natural world which have puzzled scientists for centuries. Heavily illustrated with photographs and drawings, the book presents astounding tales from across the rich folklore of animals: a learned pig more admired than Sir Isaac Newton by the English public, an elephant that Lord Byron wanted to employ as his butler, a dancing horse whose skills in mathematics were praised by William Shakespeare, and, of course, the extraordinary creature known as the Feejee Mermaid. This object became the foremost curiosity of London in the 1820s and later in the century toured the United States under the management of P. T. Barnum. Bearing a striking resemblance to a wizened and misshapen monkey with a fishtail, the mermaid was nonetheless proclaimed a genuine specimen by 'experts.' Bondeson explores other zoological wonders: toads living for centuries encased in solid stone, little fishes raining down from the sky, and barnacle geese growing from trees until ready to fly. In two of his most fascinating chapters, he uncovers the origins of the basilisk, considered one of the most inexplicable mythical monsters, and of the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary. With the head and body of a rooster and the tail of a snake, the basilisk was said to be able to kill a person with its gaze. Bondeson demonstrates that belief in this fabulous creature resulted from misinterpretations of rare events in natural history. The vegetable lamb, a mainstay of museums in the seventeenth century, was allegedly half plant, half animal: it had the shape of a little lamb, but grew from a stem. After examining two vegetable lambs still in London today, Bondeson offers a new theory to explain this old fallacy.

Author : Lori Nix,Kathleen Gerber
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2021-11
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 173793163X

Get Book

Unnatural History by Lori Nix,Kathleen Gerber Pdf

Author : Zachari Logan
Publisher : Radiant Press
Page : 88 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2021-09-20
Category : Poetry
ISBN : 1989274544

Get Book

A Natural History of Unnatural Things by Zachari Logan Pdf

A microscopic and intense view of the sometimes invisible and ignored parts of the world we inhabit. Peering into cities and our place within them, the poet searches for meaning after the death of his father, and observes the flora and fauna, which provide beauty and nourish us. This book delights the senses and poses the question, are we contributing to, or ultimately destroying our planet?

Author : Kees Moerbeek
Publisher : Franklin Watts
Page : 12 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 1993
Category : Museums
ISBN : 1852135484

Get Book

The Museum of Unnatural History by Kees Moerbeek Pdf

Author : Sharman Apt Russell
Publisher : Hachette UK
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2008-08-01
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780786722396

Get Book

Hunger by Sharman Apt Russell Pdf

Every day, we wake up hungry. Every day, we break our fast. Hunger explores the range of this primal experience. Sharman Apt Russell, the highly acclaimed author of Anatomy of a Rose and An Obsession with Butterflies, here takes us on a tour of hunger, from eighteen hours without food to thirty-six hours to seven days and beyond. What Russell finds-both in our bodies and in cultures around the world-is extraordinary. It is a biological process that transcends nature to shape the very of fabric of societies. In a fascinating survey of centuries of thought on hunger's unique power, she discovers an ability to adapt to it that is nothing short of miraculous. From the fasting saints of the early Christian church to activists like Mahatma Gandhi, generations have used hunger to make spiritual and political statements. Russell highlights these remarkable cases where hunger can inspire and even heal, but she also addresses the devastating impact of starvation on cultures around the world today. Written with consummate skill, a compassionate heart, and stocked with facts, figures, and fascinating lore, Hunger is an inspiring window on history and the human spirit.

Author : Stephen T. Asma
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 319 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2003-05-01
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780195347463

Get Book

Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads by Stephen T. Asma Pdf

The natural history museum is a place where the line between "high" and "low" culture effectively vanishes--where our awe of nature, our taste for the bizarre, and our thirst for knowledge all blend happily together. But as Stephen Asma shows in Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads, there is more going on in these great institutions than just smart fun. Asma takes us on a wide-ranging tour of natural history museums in New York and Chicago, London and Paris, interviewing curators, scientists, and exhibit designers, and providing a wealth of fascinating observations. We learn how the first museums were little more than high-toned side shows, with such garish exhibits as the pickled head of Peter the Great's lover. In contrast, today's museums are hot-beds of serious science, funding major research in such fields as anthropology and archaeology. "Rich in detail, lucid explanation, telling anecdotes, and fascinating characters.... Asma has rendered a fascinating and credible account of how natural history museums are conceived and presented. It's the kind of book that will not only engage a wide and diverse readership, but it should, best of all, send them flocking to see how we look at nature and ourselves in those fabulous legacies of the curiosity cabinet."--The Boston Herald.

Author : Katrina van Grouw
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 302 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2018-07-31
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781400889648

Get Book

Unnatural Selection by Katrina van Grouw Pdf

A lavishly illustrated look at how evolution plays out in selective breeding Unnatural Selection is a stunningly illustrated book about selective breeding--the ongoing transformation of animals at the hand of man. More important, it's a book about selective breeding on a far, far grander scale—a scale that encompasses all life on Earth. We'd call it evolution. A unique fusion of art, science, and history, this book celebrates the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's monumental work The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, and is intended as a tribute to what Darwin might have achieved had he possessed that elusive missing piece to the evolutionary puzzle—the knowledge of how individual traits are passed from one generation to the next. With the benefit of a century and a half of hindsight, Katrina van Grouw explains evolution by building on the analogy that Darwin himself used—comparing the selective breeding process with natural selection in the wild, and, like Darwin, featuring a multitude of fascinating examples. This is more than just a book about pets and livestock, however. The revelation of Unnatural Selection is that identical traits can occur in all animals, wild and domesticated, and both are governed by the same evolutionary principles. As van Grouw shows, animals are plastic things, constantly changing. In wild animals the changes are usually too slow to see—species appear to stay the same. When it comes to domesticated animals, however, change happens fast, making them the perfect model of evolution in action. Suitable for the lay reader and student, as well as the more seasoned biologist, and featuring more than four hundred breathtaking illustrations of living animals, skeletons, and historical specimens, Unnatural Selection will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in natural history and the history of evolutionary thinking.