Caitlin's Book Corner

Here's Caitlin hard at work on her book review of Dry Storeroom No. 1.

Dry Storeroom  No. 1 The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey
(available at the Museum gift shop)

Despite the rather bland title and kitschy jacket, Fortey’s Dry Storeroom No. 1 was anything but dry. The retired ‘trilobite man’ of the British Natural History Museum Richard Fortey takes us on a guided tour of his own ‘personal museum’ of memories of his lengthy tenure at museum. 

Until I started with the Museum of the Earth, I had no idea that most museums are actually prolific research institutions whose public exhibits only make up a small fraction of the organization’s activities. The specimens on display only scratch the surface of the collections tucked away in back for safe keeping and study. As a national natural history museum sponsored by a country that once held an empire on which the sun never set, the Natural History Museum’s collections are plum with the spoils of empire and centuries of careful cataloging. Fortey gleefully opens the drawers of both his own museum of memories and the Museum’s, showcasing wonderful anecdotes from each of the five departments of the Museum. He does make apologies for the questionable origin and development of both collections and staff, while noting that we should not discard these things of immeasurable value even if they were acquired under somewhat dubious circumstances. 

Several themes resonate throughout the chapters. With myriad detailed examples, Fortey demonstrates the importance of cataloging and preserving biodiversity both for human benefit and its inherent value. He is a strong proponent of what some might dismiss as simply ‘stamp collecting’- the systematic classification of organisms. As Fortey emphasizes, we cannot hope to preserve what we are not even aware of. Fortey is also fond of noting the intersection and overlaps of art and science, both within specimens and individuals. The prose of the book itself is a shining example of such intersections. Fortey writes in an incredibly engaging manner and his enthusiasm for his subject matter is contagious. His anecdotes are just as much an exhibit of the colorful characters who toil behind the scenes as they are of the material they work with. 

The concept of committing one’s own interpretation of a museum of a museum to paper might seem rather cumbersome in theory, but Fortey does a marvelous job with his guided tour of his memories. The narrative never collapses under the weight of its complex structure, and never falls into the doldrums of discussing any one topic ad nausea. Overall, it was an absolutely delightful read and suitable for both adults and older children with strong reading skills. I couldn’t recommend it more. 

The First 75 Years: a history of the Paleontological Research Institution by Warren D. Allmon 

 

One of the goals in the design of the Museum of the Earth is to celebrate the inherent connection of the arts and sciences. The connection runs deep and manifests itself even in the very design of our building and exhibts. The building reflects the natural geology of the area- it’s not quite as spectacular as the real gorges, but I’m sure the glaciers appreciate our efforts to duplicate their work. In the deepest part of our valley there’s even a garden to showcase the typical gorge foliage in a readily accessible location. (Did you know that different plants grow on each side of the gorge? Me neither.) 

The concept of the Museum itself is tailored towards one of its best pieces, Barbara Page’s Rock of Ages Sands of Time. The mural spans the history of multicellular life on Earth, beginning with the artist’s handprints at the present, trailing back to the Cambrian Explosion. Altogether it is comprised of 544 11”x11” masonite tiles, each a representation of one million years and features a life sized depiction of an organism from the period against the backdrop painted to reflect the rocks of the era. 

So when a visitor tours the Museum, the journey begins at the present and descends down the ramp as the mural seems to rewind the millennia dropping our traveler off at the Cambrian Explosion. The exhibits then guide the visitor back towards the present, through the Ordovician, Jurassic, Cretaceous and Holocene, ending at the gorge garden.  Not bad for a day trip. 

The best part? (In my opinion…) In a brilliantly meta-architectural move, the entire Museum is underground, its ancient treasures just waiting to be excavated by curious minds. 

(This review was inspired by the book but not necessarily about the book itself...Caitlin's tricky that way.--Jaime).