Paleontological Society of Austin
Book Review
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Richard Fortey This is a quirky and very personal exploration of the history of the London Natural History Museum based on the author's lifetime of employment there. You will get a lot of idiosyncratic bits of history, all in support of the primary thrust of the work, which is the critical importance of creating, preserving and curating major natural history collections. Fortey is also the author of Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution and Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth. The author was employed as a paleontologist at the Museum for many years, interviewing for his job in 1970 and retiring in 2006. During his early tenure he was able to experience many of the personalities and conventions that reached far back into the early years of the Museum (though not all the way back - the Museum was founded in 1881). He witnessed and describes many of the significant changes that took place during that time, changes that similarly effected the world's major national museums and collections. Very entertaining, it is generaly informative (with many descriptions of fascinating details of the collections and their history, extensive discussion of nomenclature and type specimens, ...) and at times National Inquirer (sex, alchohol, and disfunctional personalities). There were a few portions of the book that were a bit slow going (ones that seemed extreme in the randomness of their digressions) and a few where the reader could not help wondering just exactly what old scores were being settled. Overall, this was a great read and an excellent reminder of what we owe to the under-appreciated scientists that have built, maintain and continue to improve these collections. |
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