Nature's Museums: Victorian Science and the Architecture of Display

Yanni (art history, Rutgers U.) examines the relationship between architecture and science in the 19th century by considering the physical placement and display of natural artifacts in Victorian natural history museums. She begins by discussing the problem of classification, the social history of collecting, as well as architectural competitions and case studies of particular museums such as the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, the Cambridge University Library, and the Museum of Practical Geology. Final chapters look at natural history museums today, and at the role of architecture in the social structure of knowledge. Includes numerous illustrations. Text is printed in very small font. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)