Natural Histories

Tom Baione, an active member of the Grolier Club and is the Harold Boeschenstein Director of Library Services of the Museum of Natural History's Library and oversees all aspects of the library's functions.

."..a truly stunning collection of rare prints covering a litany of topics. Whether readers choose to focus on the 40 prints just begging for frames that are included in the box or the often breathtaking images in the book itself, they'll quickly find themselves sucked into this fantastically assembled and informative work of natural and human history . . . armchair naturalists, archeologists, and anthropologists will have a field day with this lovingly curated collection. Remarkable for its editing as well as its breadth of scope (even the binding of Victorian natural history books is studied), this gem of a book is one of the best in its class." --"Publishers Weekly" (Starred Review)

."..this collection from the AMNH is sure to please. It presents rare essays and artwork about the natural sciences along with a selection of prints for display." --"TIME" magazine

"Baione (dir., American Museum of Natural History Lib.) examines book illustrations found in the library of New York City's American Museum of Natural History. The volume also gathers 40 essays written by the museum's librarians, researchers, curators, and administrators. They discuss woodcuts, etchings, engravings, and lithographs from books published between the 16th and early 20th centuries on topics in the natural sciences. The book presents many full-page, color reproductions of illustrations of insects, sea animals, birds, and mammals, accompanied by historical descriptions. Also included is a 19th-century astronomical atlas and a collection of portraits of Native Americans. The museum has published many books that discuss its collections...Baione's is the first to focus on book illustrations. It is packaged with 40 frameable prints. VERDICT - Combining well-chosen reproductions and interesting essays, this book would be a great choice for readers of "National Geographic" and the like." --"Library Journal"