Nature's Memory by Jack Ashby

Nature's Memory: Behind the Scenes at the World's Natural History Museums is the new book from Jack Ashby, Assistant Director of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. This fascinating and engaging book shares hidden stories from natural history museums and collections around the world. 

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.

Product details: 

• Hardback book, 336 pages
• 16.3 x 3 x 24.2 cm
• ISBN: 9780241656884