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Animal: Exploring the Zoological World
Explore the beauty and diversity of the animal world through more than 300 captivating images from across time and from every corner of the globe
Animal: Exploring the Zoological World is a visually stunning and broad-ranging survey that explores and celebrates humankind's ongoing fascination with animals. Since our very first moments on Earth, we have been compelled to make images of the curious beasts around us - whether as sources of food, danger, wonder, power, scientific significance or companionship. This carefully curated selection of images, chosen by an international panel of experts, delves into our shared past to tell the story of animal life.
From the first cave paintings, extraordinary medieval bestiaries and exquisite scientific illustration, to iconic paintings, contemporary artworks and the incredible technological advancements that will shape our futures together, the huge range of works reflects the beauty and variety of animals themselves - including butterflies, hummingbirds, bats, frogs, tigers, dogs, jellyfish, spiders and elephants, to name a few.
Arranged in a curated and thought-provoking sequence, this engaging compilation includes iconic works by some of the great names in zoology, such as Conrad Gesner, Charles Darwin and John James Audubon, as well as celebrated artists and photographers, indigenous cultures and lesser-known figures who have made important contributions to the study and representation of animals throughout history.
Animal: Exploring the Zoological World is a visually stunning and broad-ranging survey that explores and celebrates humankind's ongoing fascination with animals. Since our very first moments on Earth, we have been compelled to make images of the curious beasts around us - whether as sources of food, danger, wonder, power, scientific significance or companionship. This carefully curated selection of images, chosen by an international panel of experts, delves into our shared past to tell the story of animal life.
From the first cave paintings, extraordinary medieval bestiaries and exquisite scientific illustration, to iconic paintings, contemporary artworks and the incredible technological advancements that will shape our futures together, the huge range of works reflects the beauty and variety of animals themselves - including butterflies, hummingbirds, bats, frogs, tigers, dogs, jellyfish, spiders and elephants, to name a few.
Arranged in a curated and thought-provoking sequence, this engaging compilation includes iconic works by some of the great names in zoology, such as Conrad Gesner, Charles Darwin and John James Audubon, as well as celebrated artists and photographers, indigenous cultures and lesser-known figures who have made important contributions to the study and representation of animals throughout history.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2018
6 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
James Hanken
7 booksJames Hanken is Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology and Professor of Biology at Harvard University. He is also the director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology and curator of herpetology.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 13, 2018
i Animal: Exploring the Zoological World is a book that combines the art and the science of zoology. Overall, an amazing collection, spanning the over 40,000 years we know humanity has spent depicting the animal life around us.
i The book center is the set of about 300 images, some made by scientists or drawn to meet their requirements, others drawn by artists. There are also minimal texts introducing the book, discussing zoology and in particular animal taxonomy, and presenting one-paragraph biographies of the figures who have crwated or commissioned the artwork and other depictions in this book.
+++ The quality of the reproduction, and of the whole book in general, is outstanding.
+++ I loved the coverage of historical drawings. For anyone wishing to understand how depiction in natural sicence have evolved over time, this book is an excellent source. Then head over to the Internet Archive and the other repositories offering digital versions of historical manuscripts (which are by now rare and largely inaccessible in physical form).
+++/- I loved the coverage of modern scientific methods for mapping animals and other zoological elements, and their results. The selection runs to the 2010s, and the technology underpinning the amazing visuals is top notch. (A pity this format is not suitable for 3d techniques, which are starting to become important in this science.)
++/-- I was very impressed with the artistic reproduction that has survived to reach us across millennia. Their depictions of nature were sometimes amazingly accurate, other times inspiringly unrealistic. I was, however, not at all impressed with the modern depiction of nature. You can enjoy modernism all you want, but the value to science of animal depictions by Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, that weirdo with the formaldehyde that terrorized the London musea for way too long, and the numerous taxidermists enjoying to position animals in anthropomorphic situations is likely zero.
-- The book format must by its nature have page facing page. The authors try to also use this, by placing seemingly related visuals on facing pages. In my view, this is forced and rarely produces as much benefit as the mere collection of the whole book.
i The book center is the set of about 300 images, some made by scientists or drawn to meet their requirements, others drawn by artists. There are also minimal texts introducing the book, discussing zoology and in particular animal taxonomy, and presenting one-paragraph biographies of the figures who have crwated or commissioned the artwork and other depictions in this book.
+++ The quality of the reproduction, and of the whole book in general, is outstanding.
+++ I loved the coverage of historical drawings. For anyone wishing to understand how depiction in natural sicence have evolved over time, this book is an excellent source. Then head over to the Internet Archive and the other repositories offering digital versions of historical manuscripts (which are by now rare and largely inaccessible in physical form).
+++/- I loved the coverage of modern scientific methods for mapping animals and other zoological elements, and their results. The selection runs to the 2010s, and the technology underpinning the amazing visuals is top notch. (A pity this format is not suitable for 3d techniques, which are starting to become important in this science.)
++/-- I was very impressed with the artistic reproduction that has survived to reach us across millennia. Their depictions of nature were sometimes amazingly accurate, other times inspiringly unrealistic. I was, however, not at all impressed with the modern depiction of nature. You can enjoy modernism all you want, but the value to science of animal depictions by Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, that weirdo with the formaldehyde that terrorized the London musea for way too long, and the numerous taxidermists enjoying to position animals in anthropomorphic situations is likely zero.
-- The book format must by its nature have page facing page. The authors try to also use this, by placing seemingly related visuals on facing pages. In my view, this is forced and rarely produces as much benefit as the mere collection of the whole book.
January 4, 2022
I purchased this from the Field in Chicago and it was wrapped up. I was drawn in by the amazing cover. It is actually a collection of animals in art and collections. More sociological in slant but recommended.
April 21, 2019
Grade: 2nd-6th
Genre: Informational
I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was informative and helps kids learn more about animals and would be a good start to learning different species in science!
Genre: Informational
I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was informative and helps kids learn more about animals and would be a good start to learning different species in science!
November 6, 2023
A collection of animals in various art forms, from various countries and time periods, but with enough gory depictions like dissection and taxidermy to not entirely appeal to me.
February 19, 2019
i don't care what the subject is if phaidon publishes it i'm going to read it. their books are consistently outstanding & this one on animal life was hard to return to the library. so hard.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews