Thursday 14 December 2017

Book Review: Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey



This was a lovely collection of stories and anecdotes from behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum. It was fascinating to understand the changes of the museum over the years, the relocation of collections and changes in research and conservation within the museum. 

This book has been on my 'to read list' for years, after I attended a lecture by Richard Fortey at the Natural History Museum and had my copy signed. It is a fascinating book exploring the hidden world of working in a natural history museum. I liked how to book wandered around from topic to topic, like you are exploring the different hidden rooms and galleries, opening different doors to see what they contain. I enjoyed reading it, and it is something you can dip in and out of. Some chapters were more interesting than others, but there is likely to be something for everyone. 

I think this book would appeal to anyone interested in how museums are run or looking to work in a museum, or interested in nature and science, and how science communication has changed over the years. I would recommend this book to young adults who are interested in science and curation. 
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