This book offers a backstage tour through the halls and history of the Museum, venturing into ornithology, invertebrates, zoology, entomology, herpetology, and other disciplines, celebrating the treasures and the scientists responsible for bringing them to the light of day. Museum-goers will find their enjoyment enhanced by the wonderful anecdotes and insights, and armchair travelers will find the back-scenes tour enriching and enlightening.
Foreword by John Nichols............................................xi Introduction.........................................................1 1. The Specter of Extinction.........................................7 2. Evolution's Clay.................................................45 3. Messengers From the World's Wild Places..........................72 4. The Original Creation Tale......................................100 5. Tiny Glories of Biodiversity....................................125 6. Stories of Stasis and Change....................................146 7. The Life and Times of the Ancient World.........................170 8. The Front Lines of Conservation.................................209 9. Stories of Human Diversity......................................244 Index..............................................................277
Chapter One
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