The Smithsonian Institute seems to have a museum for almost everything, but not one dedicated to cats. Nevertheless, they have much by way of cat-related artifacts and artworks and many of them are reproduced in this delightful and diverse little book. Recommended for all cat lovers and art lovers and especially art-loving cat-lovers, like me!
I'm not a huge fan of panda bears. They just sit there. And considering how hard it is for them to mate, it doesn't even see like they want to save themselves. So why did I buy this? Well, I was at the National Zoo and it was a two for one thing. S0 this was the one.
It's actually very good. There is a history of the panda at the National Zoo, a discussion of the breeding programs (including the work in China), as well as quite a few photos. They even tell you how to tell the difference between the pandas.
This is a lovely souvenir book from the National Zoo in DC. The book presents a brief history of the zoo and then discusses each section as well as the animals in that section. It is packed with photos, if not text. There are, however, some interesting fact tidbits littered in the book.
If you have read A history of the world in 100 objects, this is like that, though confined to American history. The book includes maps, as well as a essays about the process and what was left out. Kurin includes items from all the museums of the Smithsonian, including the Zoo and the opening this year (2016) African-American museum.
This book presents 150 artifacts (or groups of artifacts) connected with the American Civil War. The items are held by the Smithsonian. Each item has roughly a page of text occupied with it. The items were selected by members of the various museums, including the African-American museum that will open in 2016.
It is an awesome book. There is everything from saddles and guns, to a violin brought by an African-American union solider that has the list of battles he front in on the back. While some of the artifacts are famous – such as Lincoln’s hat or the famous picture of the slave Gordon with the heavily scarred back – others are not – such as the canteen with a picture or the hard tack used as a frame. Some items are on displayed at the various Smithsonian buildings, some are not.
The book covers not only the Civil War, but events leading up to it – including John Quincy Adams’ stance on slavery – as well as the Reconstruction era. Despite the relatively short amount of text, there is wealth of information here, including some unknown stories that bring greater feeling to the Civil War.
The book is the type where you will say, “just one more” and then two hours later you are finished.
Note: The edition I read was brought directly from the Smithsonian. According to the book, this includes an additional 16 pages of interviews with various people who helped select items. These interviews contain further details and pictures. Some of the stories are interesting, including the one about an overseer’s wife and her reaction to the slaves’ freedom.
Winchester
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Grant and Lee's chairs
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