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moody_gobling's review against another edition
3.0
Three stars instead of four only because I feel slightly mislead. The forward is certainly by Sir David, and there are several opinions on the art plates presented, but largely this is the work of others.
Not to say that the authors presented the material poorly. I enjoyed looking through the photographs, and reading some about the artists and naturalists behind them. This is a very early history.
I think this book has value in my home as a coffee table book, but I found a hard time reading straight through, as the chapters on these early naturalists were a little dry in comparison to their vibrant work.
Not to say that the authors presented the material poorly. I enjoyed looking through the photographs, and reading some about the artists and naturalists behind them. This is a very early history.
I think this book has value in my home as a coffee table book, but I found a hard time reading straight through, as the chapters on these early naturalists were a little dry in comparison to their vibrant work.
logarithms's review against another edition
3.0
I found this at my uni library and decided to read it during my break between classes instead of actually studying.
It was an interesting read, though was too focused on the timeline and not so much the topics.
I love botanical illustration, so it was fun to look at. There were also a few interesting points and things that inspired me.
All in all, a good study break. :^P
It was an interesting read, though was too focused on the timeline and not so much the topics.
I love botanical illustration, so it was fun to look at. There were also a few interesting points and things that inspired me.
All in all, a good study break. :^P
eling's review against another edition
4.0
I know some find this oddly organized or not to their expectations, but it is in fact not a reference book nor a natural history book. It is more about the art and the artists behind earlier natural history discoveries and illustrations. Really interesting and full of great illustrations, details and tidbits. Great for anyone interested in this type of artwork, or the history of scientific illustration. I really enjoyed it and bought it for my own collection.
fallchicken's review
4.0
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.
trish204's review
4.0
I'll freely admit that this was one of two books I only bought because of Sir David Attenborough's name being on them. And where there's Attenborough on it, there's Attenborough in it, right? Yes, I am a little fangirl.
The book, to my surprise (though not in a bad way), is not necessarily about the natural world itself but about the art of natural history. Meaning that the authors (Sir Attenborough only penned the foreword) show some of the most famous nature depictions from books and art galleries. Funnily enough, some of that artwork I had indeed already seen - either in the Natural History Museum in London, in other books about naturalists' discoveries or some old atlases I have at home.
What was the most interesting thing, to me, was the timeline they built. We start in ancient times (murials)
then see some of DaVinci's impeccable sketches about proportions
followed by some iconic graphs
as well as astonishingly detailed and vividly coloured drawings and paintings
I'm always awestruck at how gifted these scientists were not only in their respective scientific fields but also at drawing!
Nowadays, we simply photograph or film animals and plants and technology has made some amazing advances but way back then, that was not possible. So people had to convey what they saw on clay tablets, papyrus, linen, paper and all kinds of other materials. And let me tell you, some of these art works are almost better than a photograph and you expect some birds, for example, to fly right off the page.
Not to mention the details!
I'm sure it wasn't easy deciding which art to show in this book since there is so much to choose from, but I think the editors did a very fine job of selecting and by that representing different eras. More than that, many of these sketches, drawings and paintings are so rare that you can't even see them in museums anymore since they are kept under lock and seal for their own protection. Witnesses of times past but still vibrant and utterly beautiful, just like nature itself.
But since this is a book about amazing art, here are some more works so you can judge for yourself:
It was also interesting to see that while quite a few naturalists had brought exotic animals and plants to life on canvas, there were also a number that wanted to spark people's interest in what was right in front of their noses (as can be seen in the still life with flowers above). I think it's important to strike a balance between valuing faraway places and creatures as much as those at home, wherever that is for you and seeing that addressed here as well was quite nice.
The book, to my surprise (though not in a bad way), is not necessarily about the natural world itself but about the art of natural history. Meaning that the authors (Sir Attenborough only penned the foreword) show some of the most famous nature depictions from books and art galleries. Funnily enough, some of that artwork I had indeed already seen - either in the Natural History Museum in London, in other books about naturalists' discoveries or some old atlases I have at home.
What was the most interesting thing, to me, was the timeline they built. We start in ancient times (murials)
then see some of DaVinci's impeccable sketches about proportions
followed by some iconic graphs
as well as astonishingly detailed and vividly coloured drawings and paintings
I'm always awestruck at how gifted these scientists were not only in their respective scientific fields but also at drawing!
Nowadays, we simply photograph or film animals and plants and technology has made some amazing advances but way back then, that was not possible. So people had to convey what they saw on clay tablets, papyrus, linen, paper and all kinds of other materials. And let me tell you, some of these art works are almost better than a photograph and you expect some birds, for example, to fly right off the page.
Not to mention the details!
I'm sure it wasn't easy deciding which art to show in this book since there is so much to choose from, but I think the editors did a very fine job of selecting and by that representing different eras. More than that, many of these sketches, drawings and paintings are so rare that you can't even see them in museums anymore since they are kept under lock and seal for their own protection. Witnesses of times past but still vibrant and utterly beautiful, just like nature itself.
But since this is a book about amazing art, here are some more works so you can judge for yourself:
It was also interesting to see that while quite a few naturalists had brought exotic animals and plants to life on canvas, there were also a number that wanted to spark people's interest in what was right in front of their noses (as can be seen in the still life with flowers above). I think it's important to strike a balance between valuing faraway places and creatures as much as those at home, wherever that is for you and seeing that addressed here as well was quite nice.
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