Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Albertus Seba: Cabinet of Natural Curiosities

Albertus Seba: Cabinet of Natural Curiosities

by Rainer Willmann

Albertus Seba's "Cabinet of Curiosities" is one of the 18th century's greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time. Though it was common for men of his profession to collect natural specimens for research purposes, Amsterdam-based pharmacist Albertus Seba had a passion that led him far beyond the call of duty. His amazing, unprecedented collection of... (more)

Cabinets of Curiosities

by Patrick Maurie?s

The cabinet of curiosities, that strange assemblage of marvels from the natural world with virtuoso man-made objects, seemed definitively consigned to realms where only scholars venture. Its 300-year history apparently came to an end with the eccentric collectors of the baroque age, when scientific thinking and rationalism took over. But in recent years the cabinet of curiosities has reappeared in exhibitions in... (more)

Medical CuriositiesGeorge M. Gould and Walter L. Pyle

Medical Curiosities

by George M. Gould and Walter L. Pyle

Milton's Teeth & Ovid's Umbrella: Curiouser and Curiouser Adventures in History

Milton's Teeth & Ovid's Umbrella: Curiouser and Curiouser Adventures in History

by Michael Olmert

We've been taught that history is the story of great events and important people -- but is it? In Milton's Teeth and Ovid's Umbrella, Michael Olmert shows how the most ordinary artifacts of everyday life can also be important sources of information. For the modern historian it's the little things that count, and these intriguing essays force us to take another look at the odds and ends of life we so often take for... (more)

Weird Las Vegas (Weird)

by Joe Oesterle

Las Vegas is weird: that's no stretch of the imagination. But the truth is even stranger than anyone imagined! With a little digging, Joe Oesterle and Tim Cridland found all kinds of bizarre and odd folks lurking about in Nevada. There's the Neon Boneyard, where discarded historic signs bake in the sun and even Bonnie and Clyde's Death Car. And just for guys: take a break at a chunk of the Berlin Wall...now turned... (more)

Weird Maryland (Weird)

by Matt Lake

What's Weird Around Here? That’s a question Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman have enjoyed asking for years—and their offbeat sense of curiosity led them to create the bestselling phenomenon, Weird N.J. Now the weirdness has spread: several key locales throughout the U.S. are getting the full Weird treatment, with travel guides to the strange, bizarre, and wacky. Each fun and intriguing volume offers more than 250... (more)

Wonders and the Order of Nature, 1150-1750

Wonders and the Order of Nature, 1150-1750

by Lorraine Daston

Wonders and the Order of Nature is about the ways in which European naturalists from the High Middle Ages through the Enlightenment used wonder and wonders, the passion and its objects, to envision themselves and the natural world. Monsters, gems that shone in the dark, petrifying springs, celestial apparitions--these were the marvels that adorned romances, puzzled philosophers, lured collectors, and frightened... (more)

The Feejee Mermaid and Other Essays in Natural and Unnatural History

The Feejee Mermaid and Other Essays in Natural and Unnatural History

by Jan Bondeson

In his new collection of essays, Jan Bondeson tells ten fascinating stories of myths and hoaxes, beliefs and Ripley-like facts, concerning the animal kingdom. Throughout he recounts--and in some instances solves--mysteries of the natural world which have puzzled scientists for centuries. Heavily illustrated with photographs and drawings, the book presents astounding tales from across the rich folklore of animals:... (more)

Every Minute On Earth

by Steve Murrie

In the minute it could take you to read this page, the Earth will be hit by 6,000 lightning strikes; 2,137 pounds of popcorn will be eaten; 10,000 pieces of skin will be lost from your body; 21,000 pizzas will be baked; 954 camera phones will be sold worldwide; the International Space Station will travel 289 miles in its orbit around the Earth; and 750,000 gallons of water will tumble over Niagara Falls. The... (more)