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The Authentic Animal: Inside the Odd and Obsessive World of Taxidermy
by
Dave Madden (Goodreads Author)
Why would someone want to create or own the mounted skin of a dead animal? That’s the question Dave Madden explores in The Authentic Animal. Madden starts his journey with the life story of Carl Akeley, the father of modern taxidermy. Akeley started small by stuffing a canary, but by the end of his life he had created the astonishing Akeley Hall of African Mammals at The A...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
August 2nd 2011
by St. Martin's Press
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note to self: notice how the author makes amusing anecdotes about a practice that is taken for granted (taxidermy), yet is probably both hated and revered at once. This book will most likely not get a lot of favorable attention, but yet maybe the author doesn't want that. He might simply want to tell us (in exasperating detail) how this practice came about. However, we don't really talk about it. We'll talk about zoos more than taxidermy. They might even laugh at it. Do we laugh when we see dead...more
Well...this should be interesting. It WAS interesting, funny, provocative. Interesting how taxidermists & biologists tend to leave a swath of dead animals in their path in the name of science or getting the perfect specimen. Think Log from (of?) the Sea of Cortez by Steinbeck, for example.
The whole great-white-hunter thing from back in the day was a cringefest to read, with one guy killing hundreds of animals and just leaving them there. He finally saw the light when he killed a family of g...more
The whole great-white-hunter thing from back in the day was a cringefest to read, with one guy killing hundreds of animals and just leaving them there. He finally saw the light when he killed a family of g...more
Wow. Surprisingly literary, incredibly well-written story of taxidermy. Traces the life of Akeley along with many others, and delves into modern taxidermy rather deeply. Don't read this one if you haven't a strong stomach for viscera, for flesh-eating insects, and above all, for trophy hunting.
I don't really know what I expected after picking this up by serendipity in my local library. I only know that I was pleasantly surprised by both the content and the literary quality of this book. Highly r...more
I don't really know what I expected after picking this up by serendipity in my local library. I only know that I was pleasantly surprised by both the content and the literary quality of this book. Highly r...more
I haven't the slightest interest in taxidermy, but I read a review of this book somewhere and thought it would be an interesting read. The book didn't disappoint. This is a fascinating look at something that many people find a little strange, perhaps a bit repulsive, but definitely a practice and hobby that is part of our cultural fabric. Very absorbing.
"The difficulty with a great number of books that attempt to catalogue or illuminate a given industry or segment of our society is that they often end up opening more threads than they close, so we read to learn or uncover and yet end up with a bigger reading list of equally interesting secondary sources. But Dave Madden’s The Authentic Animal: Inside the Odd and Obsessive World of Taxidermy avoids this pitfall by selecting the subject of taxidermy, a practice with enough of a lifespan to tell a...more
I read it in a little over three sittings, and throughly enjoyed being buoyed about history, museums, and rural garage skin-shops by Madden. He's a very present narrator who disappears when he isn't called upon, then reappears at the proper moment with a literary, self-aware voice. Fascinating stuff!
I would actually give this 2.5 stars; I'm not sure if some of my problems with it were more a byproduct of my own (perhaps unreasonable) expectations. I do think the title and description of the book are both misleading -- I wanted this to be an examination of taxidermy, both past and present, and the physical process involved in it. I wanted to know what makes taxidermy enthusiasts tick, both in Western cultures and non. And there are very brief sections that kind of explore the "collector mind...more
A really fascinating, strange book. I picked it up because it includes a history of Carl Akeley, among other things, and it has a ton of great detail. Madden culled a lot of primary sources to piece together a (albeit sometimes overstepping) historical narrative while also contemplating the place of taxidermy and animal-human relationships today.
An informative, engaging, yet uneven book about the art of stuffing dead animals. It could have used better organization and less mythologizing of taxidermy legends and injections into the narrative by its author. Still, an enjoyable read.
I really found this book an enjoyable read. I learned so much more than I ever realized was out there to learn about the history of taxidermy! It mostly follows the life of Carl Akely who's life makes for an incredible story.
Okay, this was a super interesting book on something I never think about. I picked it up because I read a review (in Bookcase I think) and decided it sounded like fun. If you have ever wondered about taxidermy or how we got all these things in museums or even if you are just a bit curious, this is the book for you.
Rec'd on Brain Scoop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGROuk...
Beautiful work. Odd and funny and surprisingly emotional.
Its structure--or lack thereof--made for a rambling and unfocused... well, what was it after all? Not a treatise on taxidermy exactly; rather, a personal account of a man who finds himself entranced by the obsessive magic of a niche art/skill/hobby/business, who, however, never actually partakes in it otherwise. What I wanted was more taxidermy talk itself, more method, exposition, &c. But this wasn't bad of course. The writing thrills with the enthusiasm of someone freshly devoted. It was a...more
Interesting read, As someone with an interest in hunting taxidermy fascinates me. This has given me much to think about.
I read this shortly after reading Blechman's "Pigeons". For whatever reason, I expected them to be much the same. If you're going to read one book outside of your normal subject matter, I would go with Pigeons.
This is a good story, but it gets lost at many points along the way. I'm not sure the book is ordered in the most logical way either, with lots of tangents towards and away from its quasi main character.
This is a good story, but it gets lost at many points along the way. I'm not sure the book is ordered in the most logical way either, with lots of tangents towards and away from its quasi main character.
I enjoyed this book. I found it to be educational and help me understand taxidermy and the people who do it. This book is a great read for anyone who hunts, love animals or just want to understand taxidermy.
If you like Mary Roach's books, you'll probably like this one by Dave Madden. Covers history of, current competitive aspects of, major players in, and influences of taxidermy, particularly in natural history museums.
Apr 02, 2013
Mr. Shoemaker
added it
Who could have guessed? a fascinating non-fiction book about taxidermy. Beautiful creative non-fiction. Thanks for the recommendation, Mr Rickert!
This would have been a much better book were pictures included. Plan to read it near a computer so you can google for visuals as you read.
Is it weird when I say "I didn't like this book as much as I liked the last book I read about taxidermy"?
Yes. Yes, it is.
Yes. Yes, it is.
May 03, 2013
Jeff
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