Elephants Are Not Picked From Trees: Animal Biographies in the Gothenburg Natural History Museum by Liv Emma Thorsen, a professor emerita at the University of Oslo in Norway, is her natural museum exhibit micro-history book, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Aarhus University Press in Denmark.
This is an accessibly-written academic history showcasing the origins of four of the subtitular Swedish natural history museum’s preserved animal exhibits. This is really very nifty, not only lavishly illustrated with period and modern photographs, but also with plenty of info explaining the historical cultural background surrounding the fad for taxidermied animal acquisition in past centuries, as well as quotes from original documents about the acquisition process and subsequent treatment and setup of the exhibits and their ensuing reception by the public. (Sadly, the notorious Gripsholm Lion, made memetically infamous as perhaps the worst ever historically taxidermied lion put on display, does not appear to be mentioned anywhere in its pages.)
Offered through the month of January, available worldwide DRM-free.
With Blackjack and Hookers 