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22nd out of 67 books
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42 voters
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The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death
The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death offers readers an extraordinary glimpse into the mind of a master criminal investigator. Frances Glessner Lee, a wealthy grandmother, founded the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard in 1936 and was later appointed captain in the New Hampshire police. In the 1940s and 1950s she built dollhouse crime scenes based on real cases in...more
Hardcover, 225 pages
Published
September 28th 2004
by Monacelli
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When we lived in DC for a few months we heard of this amazing museum of miniatures, open by appointment only, in the Office of the Medical Examiner in the murder capital of the U.S., Baltimore. David Byrne had mentioned it as one of his 10 favorite things in his hometown of Baltimore and when we went, with a special appointment weeks in advance, his name was just three before ours in the guestbook. The 25 or so diaoramas were made in exacting miniature by a Mother Jones looking bespectacled gr...more
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This one was a vast disappointment. The photography of the minature panoramas was at once top notch, beautiful intricate details, and also quite lacking, as the minatures were rarely-to-never seen in whole, so that their size could be gauged, and so that they could be appreciated for what they were. It reminded me of porn that focuses on genitalia, rather than people.
Moreover, the author spent way too much time quoting this and that, and the quotes were hardly ever pertinent to the ...more
Moreover, the author spent way too much time quoting this and that, and the quotes were hardly ever pertinent to the ...more
This book is amazing. Though the content is likely a bit morbid for most to consider it a coffee table book, had I coffee table, it would definitely be prominently displayed on mine. The book discusses the career of Frances Glessner Lee, a woman Corinne May Botz describes as: "brilliant, witty, and, by some accounts, impossible woman. She gave you what she thought you should have, rather than what you might actually want. She had a wonderful sense of humor about everything and everyone, exc...more
A big disappointment. It's photographs of meticulous miniature scenes, made by a woman who was a forensics professor to train detectives. So the very idea of that is rather cool, but that's about it. They took a quirky interesting thing and attempted to spin it into something dep and profound. The photos show the level of detail but are more artsy than revealing. They don't give any sense of scale and many things mentioned in the text aren't shown.
Then, there's the text which reads ...more
Then, there's the text which reads ...more
a neat little look at what happens when an intelligent, creative woman is faced with the oppression of gender expections; creepy death scenes in miniature. don't be fooled by the macabre surface; much of the book is concerned with gendered modes of creative expression. still you don't have to be a feminist to appreciate the craft and ingenuity of the nutshell studies. ms. botz photos are great, and each "study" represents a unique mystery. only a handful of the solutions are revealed a...more
A beautifully shot book that really allows for the bizarre and utterly gripping work of Frances Glessner Lee to shine. Botz allows Lee's work to shine without much fuss. You can't put it down until the last page is seen.
Very neat and worth checking out. I love returning to this book from time to time, eventually my friend will probably stop letting me borrow it. ^_^ I just need to track down a copy of my own to add to my bookshelf.
I was intrigued by the studies themselves but the book itself sounds like a "gender studies" major's term paper. The way they were photographed was disappointing as well- why use a shallow focus?
I adore books about eccentrics. This one is a doozy: a pent-up socialite takes to modeling tiny dioramas of death to promote forensic training for policemen. Seriously. Haven't read one as good as this since The Queen of Whale Cay.
What a fascinating book! All my favorites: crime procedurals, miniatures, dysfunctional family histories.
Very extensive research by the creator of these unusual miniature scenes makes for interesting reading and study.
would make an interesting coffee table book!
Morbid, meticulous miniatures.
Like Encyclopedia Brown for adults.
I beg you, take a look at this book.
Brilliant!!!
While the photographs in this book are executed with interesting camera angles and dramatic lighting, they sadly don't ever show the miniature scenes in their entirety. Illustrated room overviews were coupled with teasing descriptions of things not visible in the photographs. On the other hand, the photos do show the incredible amount of work and the amazing details put into each scene. It has convinced me that I need to see the Nutshells in person. Anyone want to take a trip to Baltimore?
In the 1930s, Frances Glessner Lee, who apparently had a lot of time on her hands and no other use for her dollhouse hobby, created a series of death scenes that are used for training by investigators. Botz went through and photographed some of these scenes, and for very few, provided explanations of whether is was an accidental death, murder, or suicide. I have learned throughout this book that I would make a crappy investigator. Still, fun to look at.
This book is AMAZING. It's about Frances Glessner Lee, who was a New Hampshire police captain and founded Harvard's Department of Legal Medicine in 1936. The "nutshell studies" were little dollhouses/dioramas of crime scenes used for the training of detectives. Oh. I'm verklempt just thinking about how much I love this book.
Never has crime been so tiny and cute!
Here's the deal. This is an amazing book about an old woman in the beginning of the 20th century who came from money and decided to spend her life reconstructing crime scenes dioramas with dollhouse furniture and fake blood.
She was an incredible woman and this book contains some incredible photos.
She was an incredible woman and this book contains some incredible photos.
Such an eerie bit of weirdness...made more incredible by the fact that the murder scenes were first constructed by a police inspector. I'm not sure I feel the photographs speak to May Botz's own skills as a photographer, but they're still quite interesting to look at.
Doesn't tell you how the folks died in each study/box, which is kinda withholding the punchline, the one thing you really deeply want to know ... but is completely fascinating nonetheless. Loaned to me by my fascinating best friend Crystal. :)
Fascinating. I wish the introduction was a little more fact-based and less post-undergrad theory. Really bizarre book.
Corinne May Botz (both as an essayist and a photographer) NAILED this biography about Frances Glessner Lee and her fascinating life's work. I return to this book again and again.
This the coolest book if you can get your hands on it. I don't own it, but a friend of mine does.
When I save up enough money to blow I will buy this.
When I save up enough money to blow I will buy this.
Jim
rated it
Recommends it for:
people who enjoy studying crime or dollhouses
Shelves:
nonfiction,
crime
A fascinating study of miniature crime scenes produced for investigators to learn to improve their craft. Amazing detail in these rooms.
Interesting, but I wish there were outlined steps that helped you come to a conclusion on the murder cases. Kind of anti-climactic.
fascinating book on the building of miniature doll houses as exact recreations of crime scenes used to train homicide detectives
fascinating... but as a book revolving around a set of miniatures, I felt more detailed pictures would have been good.
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