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30th out of 56 books
—
27 voters
Amazing Rare Things: The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery
The Royal Collection, held at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, and Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, has been shaped by the personal tastes of kings and queens for more than five hundred years. The Collection’s exquisite natural history artworks in Amazing Rare Things is supplemented by an introduction and commentary from Sir David Attenborough. This exploration of the natural w
...moreHardcover, 224 pages
Published
March 31st 2007
by Royal Collection Enterprises Ltd
(first published March 2007)
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How do you rate a book that is mainly art - reproductions of former artists? If the art is good, does the rating go up? If the descriptions are inane, do you take away stars?
Yes, and yes: at least for this book. The author(s) apparently have a fetish for Leonardo da Vinci - and I could have been more graphic - he's the best artist evah blah blah blah when he is clearly not the best artist even within the pages of the book, if composition and quality of representation are the criteria (and what o...more
Yes, and yes: at least for this book. The author(s) apparently have a fetish for Leonardo da Vinci - and I could have been more graphic - he's the best artist evah blah blah blah when he is clearly not the best artist even within the pages of the book, if composition and quality of representation are the criteria (and what o...more
Glorious. This book explores the images from natural history records and looks at them as a form of art. I have always considered the incredible drawings of plants and animals from this era as art, and I was excited to see them examined this way by some of the masters in the field.
The writing is straightforward but thorough. Though the sections are written by different people, there is an overall sense of being pulled into the world of discovery and allowed to spend some time marvelling there.
I...more
The writing is straightforward but thorough. Though the sections are written by different people, there is an overall sense of being pulled into the world of discovery and allowed to spend some time marvelling there.
I...more
A quick flip through the book caught my interest when I recognised some of the pictures (or at least the style) – as note card favourites. Turns out these cherished images have a lot of history, and played quite a role in naturalist science. I borrowed the book from the library and began reading.
The book consists of informative and concise essays along with beautiful reproductions if watercolours and drawings – all which work to introduce the reader to natural art and the naturalist artists who...more
The book consists of informative and concise essays along with beautiful reproductions if watercolours and drawings – all which work to introduce the reader to natural art and the naturalist artists who...more
Feb 08, 2009
Sarah
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
art and science lovers
Shelves:
non-fiction,
500s
This book is exquisite. It covers aspects of history I had never before even considered. It is bursting with information and, even better, gorgeous illustrations. The segments on the different artist/naturalists were all fascinating, but the chapter on Maria Sibylla Merian was my favorite. She pretty much rocked in a time when it was difficult for women to do so. And she draws a mean Australian cockroach.
The illustrations in this book are fantastic and the content by Attenborough is great. The introduction provides some interesting context on how art has informed biology and how biology has informed art (at least, this is what the introduction made me think about). The illustration notes impart interesting tidbits about some of the animals and plants illustrated in the plates, as well as what the artists got right . . . and what they may have embellished.
The rest of the text is less inspiring,...more
The rest of the text is less inspiring,...more
David Attenborough explores the Royal Library at Windsor. The reproductions are beautiful. How nice to find Maria Sibylla Merian as one of the featured artists, along with Leonardo da VInci, Mark Catesby, and Alexander Marshall. And the paper museum of Cassiano dal Pozzo was a wonderful discovery. My problem now is deciding if this book gets shelved with natural history books or with art books.
What a fascinating topic! Although the text wasn't terribly in-depth, I loved the stunning visuals captioned with David Attenborough's snarky comments on scientific accuracy.
I loved this book. The illustrations were beautiful, and David Attenborough's introduction was especially good. I recommend _Amazing Rare Things_ wholeheartedly!
I was delighted to discover that the work of Maria Sibylla Merian was included in this book, along with that of Alexander Marshall. They were both amazing botanical artists. The work of Leonardo da Vinci is also featured as is that of Mark Catesby (loved the Sarracenia purpurea with frog). A wonderful discovery, too, was the paper museum of Cassiano dal Pozzo. This is a book I would enjoy owning ~ I hated having to return it to the library.
Sep 30, 2008
fletch
marked it as to-read
Recommends it for:
kate townsend, for david attenborough; malic, cause he'd love the colors
Beautiful illustrations with vibrant color - looking at the pictures is pleasurable enough, although I'm also interested in reading the authors' analysis as well. After seeing the Egyptology exhibit at the Frye, I've been thinking about the ways that artists, scholars and scientists, when put to the task of documenting the "exotic," easily become effective tools of colonialist expansion.
David Attenborough geeking out over Da Vinci sketches. If that doesn't sound awesome to you, neither do I.
In Amazing Rare Things:... David Attenborough explores the works of five natural history artists.....
Mar 16, 2008
Lorna
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
art historians and light nature interests
Good pics and occasionally interesting text. I think this was a Christmas impulse publication with a pretty cover and a extra-wide spaced blurb by Attenborough. The pics could be more numerous and it's too small to be a good coffee table book. Better to read Chrysalis or look at Cabinet of Curiosities.
I just saw this book at 192 Books in Chelsea. It's a compilation of essays with beautifully reproduced color drawings of nature, some even by Da Vinci. It's a good coffee table book, but also one to read in small bits.
This book got me all excited about the magic combo of art + nature. I only wish it were longer.
Beautiful integration of art and science. Lush illustrations of flora and fauna.
Found this book through goodreads. Placed an order immediately.
May 22, 2013
Lucy
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May 20, 2013
Heather
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Ian Ivory
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Sir David Frederick Attenborough is a naturalist and broadcaster, who is most well-known for writing and presenting the nine "Life" series, produced in conjunction with BBC's Natural History Unit. The series includes Life on Earth (1979), The Living Planet (1984), The Trials of Life (1990), Life in the Freezer (about Antarctica; 1993), The Private Life of Plants (1995), The Life of Birds (1998), T...more
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Feb 24, 2010 10:52pm