Rare & Wonderful
Rare & Wonderful

Author: Kate Diston

Publisher:

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781851244843

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Since its foundation in 1860, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History's world-renowned collections have become a key centre for scientific study and its much-loved building an important icon for visitors from around the world.The museum now holds over seven million scientific specimens including five million insects, half a million fossil specimens and half a million zoological specimens. It also holds an extensive collection of archival material relating to important naturalists such as Charles Darwin, William Smith, William Jones and James Charles Dale. This lavishly illustrated book features highlights from the collections ranging from the iconic Dodo (the only soft tissue specimen of the species in existence) and the giant tuna (brought back from Madeira on a perilous sea crossing in 1846) to crabs collected by Darwin during his voyage on the Beagle, David Livingstone's tsetse fly specimens and Mary Anning's ichthyosaur. Also featured are the first described dinosaur bones, found in a small Oxfordshire village, the Red Lady of Paviland (who was in fact a man who lived 29,000 years ago) and a meteorite from the planet Mars.Each item tells a unique story about natural history, about the history of science, about collecting, or about the museum itself. They give a unique insight into the extraordinary wealth of information and the fascinating tales that can be gleaned from these collections, both from the past and for the future.

Swifts in a Tower
Swifts in a Tower

Author: David Lack

Publisher: Unicorn Publishing Group

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781911604365

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First published in 1956, Swifts in a Towerstill offers astonishing insights into swifts' private lives along with thoughts about their life style and wider issues. Now more than sixty years later swifts have been studied even more thoroughly, with technology unimaginable in the 1950s. This continues to reveal even more of their secrets, so this edition, published in association with the RSPB for their Oxford Swift Cityproject includes a new chapter by Andrew Lack, bringing the story of this remarkable bird into the 21st Century.

Microsculpture
Microsculpture

Author: Levon Biss

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2017-10-10

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 168335138X

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"You will never look at a beetle or a moth the same way again." --WIRED "Art meets science to dazzling effect." --The Guardian Microsculptureis a unique photographic study of insects in mind-blowing magnification that celebrates the wonders of nature and science. Levon Biss’s photographs capture in breathtaking detail the beauty of the insect world and are printed in large-scale format to provide an unforgettable viewing experience. Each picture in Microsculpture is created from approximately 8,000 individual photographs. Segments of the specimen are lit and photographed separately using microscope lenses, then “stacked” to maintain sharp focus throughout. These images are then combined to create a single high-resolution file. From start to finish, each portrait takes approximately 4 weeks to create. The project has captured the attention of the world with features in WIRED and New Scientist. Microsculpture has been exhibited at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Xposure 2016 International Photography Festival in Sharjah, U.A.E. It has been viewed by over half a mil­lion people so far and will be touring museums around the world from 2017 onward. The entomology collection has significant cultural and historical value, containing the world’s oldest pinned insect specimen and many thousands of insects collected by pioneering Victorian explorers and biologists such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace.

Wonder: the Natural History Museum Poetry Book
Wonder: the Natural History Museum Poetry Book

Author: Ana Sampson

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

Published: 2023-03-30

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781529059007

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A beautiful collection of poems inspired by London's Natural History Museum. Covering everything from the depths of space to the centre of the earth, this beautiful collection includes poems about the solar system, planet earth, oceans and rivers, birds, dinosaurs, fossils, wildlife, flowers, fungi, insects, explorers and palaeontologists. Each section includes an introduction to the topic with insights into particularly interesting species. This fantastic collection speaks of the wonder of nature and shows us why we need to look after our incredible planet. Including brand new and classic poems, Wonder: The Natural History Museum Poetry Book is beautifully illustrated with botanical drawings and engravings from the museum's collections.