Ebook Curators: Behind the Scenes of Natural History Museums
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Curators: Behind the Scenes of Natural History Museums
Ebook Curators: Behind the Scenes of Natural History Museums
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Review
"Curators is both an autobiography and a hymn to some of Grande's more remarkable predecessors and colleagues. He is generous in their praise. . . . Sadly, the importance of science centred on museum collections is losing traction. . . . This is tragic. Creeping philistinism values only the bottom line, and there is little money to be made in (say) fish evolution. Maybe Grande’s book will help to reverse the trend." (Richard Fortey Nature)"Grande's book provides fascinating insight into a domain of scientific work, which displays its results on the museum’s exhibition floor, but which seems to be mostly practised behind exhibition doors. Grande not only opens these doors, but demonstrates that the 'backstage' of natural history museums extends far beyond the walls of the museum and into a wide range of social spaces." (Archives of Natural History)"In Curators, one of our leading paleontologists, Lance Grande, takes us behind the scenes of a great museum. Their precious collections and hidden corridors hold tales of adventure, debate, and global exploration all in the search for knowledge. Curators reveals the national treasures that are our natural history museums and tells the stories of how they hold secrets of our past, but also keys to the future." (Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish)"Think of natural history museums, and spectacular displays of monstrous dinosaurs, gorgeous minerals and archeological finds pop into our minds. But few people realize what goes on behind the scenes: Who collects those specimens? Who gets them ready to be put on display? Who interprets what the specimens mean? Without the scientists on staff of the larger natural museums, none of this would be possible. In Curators, Lance Grande, a veteran paleontologist at the Field Museum in Chicago, vividly brings the lives, times and hard work of the scientists of his and other natural museums out into the open. It is must reading for all of us who love these wonderful caverns dedicated to understanding the history of life and of the earth itself." (Niles Eldredge, emeritus curator, American Museum of Natural History)"Lance Grande has lived his life as a natural museum curator, a profession that emerged in the nineteenth century. His memoir shines a bright light on this profession, its roots, and its place in the twenty-first century. Through the lens of his own experience as an expert on fossil fish, Grande has crafted a narrative that grows, along with his career, to encompass the breadth of Chicago's fabled Field Museum and to argue for the relevance of natural history in our time. Blasting through dusty stereotypes, he passionately shows just how interesting it can be to live the surprisingly splendid life of a curator." (Kirk Johnson, director, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)
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About the Author
Lance Grande is the Negaunee Distinguished Service Curator at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, where he conducts research on fishes, paleontology, and evolutionary biology. He is the author of more than one hundred books and scientific articles, including The Lost World of Fossil Lake: Scenes from Deep Time and Gems and Gemstones: Timeless Natural Beauty of the Mineral World.
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Product details
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: University of Chicago Press; 1 edition (March 21, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 022619275X
ISBN-13: 978-0226192758
Product Dimensions:
6.5 x 1.8 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.9 out of 5 stars
18 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#290,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
If you like Natural History museums, or for that matter any museum, I think you will enjoy this book. If you’ve always wondered about the history of the objects you go to see and how they got there, then I strongly suggest that you read it. I think the next time you go to the museum, you will get more out of your visit afterward!
interesting read!
As usual Lance Grandma is right in thinking and ability to write. Difficult to put down.F
Lovely book. No issues with the transaction.
This book is an interesting counterpoint to "Dry Storeroom no.1" by Richard Fortey, which I have reviewed on this site. "Dry Storeroom" focuses on the behind-the-scenes life of the Natural History Museum in London. "Curators" is about the Field Museum in Chicago. While both give intimate glimpses behind the scenes, the two books could scarcely be more different. Fortey looks over the entire history of the Natural History Museum--its Victorian and Edwardian roots and the extraordinary characters who made it what it is today--and only toward the end gets into the problems and prospects of such an institution in today's techno-economic context. Grande looks over his own personal trajectory toward curatorship but takes the Field Museum as a given when he first engages with it. His book is largely an exploration of the Field as it is today, the people and programs it sustains, and again--toward the end--its prospects. Not only is the focus different, but the style as well. Grande is a Midwesterner born and bred, and it shows in his writing. This is a 400-page book written entirely in simple declarative sentences. There is none of the subtlety, irony or wit that mark Fortey's writing. While Fortey tends to go off on tangents--which are always worth going off on--Grande stays tightly on message and his book is thus much easier to read (and probably more effective at communicating the essence of musem-ness) than Fortey's; but it is much less entertaining. You will not find Grande snickering over assignations in the prep room or the pretensions of administrators! His attitude toward his mentors and colleagues verges on hagiography. The closest he ever comes to a harsh word about anyone in the museum world is to admit that his colleague Gareth Nelson, who earned quite a reputation for abrasiveness during the "cladistic wars" of the 70s, can be "difficult" at times. The result is an upbeat book in keeping with the "brighten the corner where you are" ethos I have often encountered in the Heartland.The book is divided into short, tightly-focused chapters separated by groups of color plates which are far superior to the illustrations in Fortey, but at least half of which are hardly necessary. The end notes are in many ways the most enlightening and valuable part of the book.The fairly detailed account of the legal fiasco surrounding the infamous T. rex skeleton "SUE" (it's supposed to be capitalized) is another high point. Grande does have harsh words for the gross overreach of a careerist Federal prosecutor who precipitated the crisis. Those harsh words are richly deserved. The multiplication of bureaucratic hurdles has made museology a much different trade than it used to be. A great many of us would much rather brave the hazards of field work in dicey places than brave the perils of incomprehensible and irrational regulations and infinitely time-wasting paperwork. Grande, Fortey and I are in agreement on that point!
As other reviewers have noted, this book is genuinely engaging and easy to read: It is chock full of engaging stories and richly interwoven with the author's personal insights into the individuals and historical events that have shaped our perspectives on science itself. I greatly appreciated the insight into the true work of museums - the laborious, highly personal process involved in the creation of the world of "known knowns" - which is undertaken by brilliant people who have so utterly consecrated themselves to their work. It also struck me that this book does a very good job of (gently) making a broader point that natural history museums are a largely under-appreciated resource, and their collections and knowledge are increasingly relevant to our lives as we face climate change, the rising use of genetic modification, the proliferation of invasive species, the long-term effects of having so many billions of humans on the planet, etc. A marvelous, thought-inducing read, highly recommended.
With this book, Lance Grande accomplishes a difficult but vital service: he presents science in an accessible way that will be thoroughly engaging to a wide audience. He focuses on people and through their fascinating stories he shares his passion (and theirs) for exploring the mysteries of nature. Just one of many examples involves the last days of a former Field Museum curator Karl Schmidt. A herpetologist, Schmidt was examining a live snake in the museum when he was bitten. Always the scientist, Schmidt recorded in great detail the effects of the bite that soon led to his death. Curators is a celebration of Schmidt and the other curators who facilitate our understanding and appreciation of nature.
So few people understand the behind-the-scenes at natural history museums - this book paints this picture. Dr Grande speaks of "a series of chance circumstances and personally influential people" who helped him get into this career. I wish everyone would read this book - especially to the young - to look a career choices and a great story of how to pursue your passion. The description of the internal workings and scientific politicking of museums is fascinating and the chapter on the quarrying of fossils in Wyoming was eye-opening. I am still smiling about the Fish Rodeo - who knew? And the inside story of Sue the dinosaur is another bonus. I will stop and not give any of it away - Dr Grande does a great job at exposing the inside of museum work. I wish it was on every neighborhood library shelf for many to enjoy.
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