David Attenborough, Susan Owens, Martin Clayton and Rea Alexandratos
Amazing Rare Things - The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery
200mm x 250mm, 224 pages, 160 colour illustrations
Book of the Month of November 2008
Australian: $49 (Approx. US $51, Euro €39)
ISBN 9781902163468
Worldwide 7 - 10 days, Australia 3 - 7 business days
About the Book
The great voyages of discovery of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries brought European artists face to face with new and exotic plants and animals, and created an intense interest in the way nature was investigated and recorded. In Amazing Rare Things, Sir David Attenborough - the renowned naturalist and documentary-maker, and one of the natural world's best loved commentators - leaves the here-and-now to explore the history of natural history instead. Joining expert curators from the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, he explores the contributions of four great artists and one pre-eminent collector to this era of extraordinary scientific advances. Profusely illustrated throughout, this book is organised around a selection of exquisite drawings and watercolours by Leonardo da Vinci, Alexander Marshal, Maria Sibylla Merian and Mark Catesby; and the works collected by Cassiano dal Pozzo for his immense 'Paper Museum'. These beautiful images - all held in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle - reflect each artist's engagement with the natural world, from Renaissance Italy and England, and on to the New World of the Americas. Sir David Attenborough's introduction, discussing representations of the natural world from prehistory to the present day, leads the reader on to detailed examinations of the passions and achievements of each of these five individuals, with fresh, lucid and thought-provoking commentaries provided throughout by Sir David on a range of their works.
About the Author
For over fifty years Sir David Attenborough has brought the wonders of the natural world to an international audience through his award-winning books and broadcasts. His pioneering documentaries include Life on Earth, and the recent epic series Planet Earth. Sir David was knighted in 1985 and received the Order of Merit in 2005.
Susan Owens is Assistant Curator of the Print Room at Windsor Castle. Her publications include Watercolours and Drawings from the Collection of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
Martin Clayton is Deputy Curator of the Print Room at Windsor Castle. His publications include the award-winning Leonardo da Vinci: the Divine and the Grotesque.
Rea Alexandratos is Co-ordinator of the Cassiano dal Pozzo Catalogue Project in the Royal Collection.