Description:
A 'compelling, arresting' (New Scientist) behind-the-scenes tour through the world's greatest natural history museums, revealing their hidden secrets
Zoologist Jack Ashby spends his life working in Britain's natural history museums, and in Nature's Memory he guides us through a series of extraordinary collections, from marvelous mounted whale skeletons and impossibly tiny insect cabinets to buried treasures in vast museum storehouses. But look more closely at these displays: all is not as it seems. While most exhibits succeed in communicating feelings of wonder and awe - a vital function when less people than ever before have access to the outdoors - Ashby argues that the version of nature natural history museums present does not always reflect reality, with specimens revealing more about the biases of curators than they do about the species they represent. Likewise, the ways in which museums have traditionally told the story of their own histories has disproportionately elevated the contributions of certain kinds of people whilst diminishing the work of others, often ignoring their complex colonial heritage altogether. But Ashby contends that these issues are precisely why it's such an exciting time to be a natural historian, for while society shapes museums, so too can museums shape society - for the good. And as we face the existential threat of cataclysmic biodiversity loss, natural history museums will emerge as indispensable resources in the fight against climate catastrophe. Weaving together fresh historical research, entertaining zoological trivia and insider stories from Ashby's distinguished natural history career, Nature's Memory is a charming ode to the joys, eccentricities and planet-saving potential of the world's best-loved museums.Brief description: JACK ASHBY is the Assistant Director of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, and President of the Society for the History of Natural History. His key zoological focus is Australian mammals, where he regularly undertakes ecological fieldwork, but his work more broadly explores the sometimes-biased ways in which museums present nature to the world.
Review Quotes: Engaging, a timely reminder... Ashby has expertly navigated challenging topics and suggested clear and actionable solutions. In our current age of extinction, natural history museums can be powerful catalysts for change, spaces for honest narratives, and places where science meets society. Nature's Memory makes a thoughtful, readable and urgent case for why that matters--Claire Browning "Nature"