Treasures of the Smithsonian Hardcover – October 1, 1983 by Edwards Park
 
To open the pages of this magnificently illustrated book is to enter the magical world of natural history. And it is to be guided among all the myriad marvels of the earth by an eloquent commentator, backed by the prodigious resources of a great institution- the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. This extraordinary museum, which attracts five million visitors a year, is a repository of wonders beyond counting and almost beyond description. it contains specimens of virtually every plant and animal- extant or extinct- ever seen on earth. The earliest fossil known to man is here, and the oldest rock yet found. There's a flying reptile with a 40-foot wingspan and the world's one remaining "dragon." The legendary Hope Diamond is here, and the hide of General Pershing's horse. There are rocks drilled clear through by lightning and iridescent butterflies whose colorless wings refract light like prisms. In The Ntionl Museum of Natural History, Philip Kopper, while casting light on Particular exhibits, explorers far wider horizons. Indeed he gives the reader a broad and illuminating overview of the naturl sciences as they are practiced today. We learn, for example, about scientists who work with acids to release ancient trilobites from stone and about others who use the dentist;s drill to remove creatures the size of hippos from solid rock, millimeter by millimeter. Moreover, the author informs us about all the fascination aspects of the life of the Museum itself: its evolution from the time of James Smithson's bequest, its methods of research, conservation, and taxonomy, and the design and construction of areas such as the new Dinosaur Hall. He discusses new Dinosaur Hall. He discusses why and how things re collected, what purposes the collections serve, how changing scientific knowledge generates startling new insights about old specimens...
 
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