In order to truly enjoy a museum and its contents, I believe it’s also important to know and understand the history of the museum itself. How it was conceived, the challenges that were faced, how items were chosen and ultimately displayed, and the people who made it all happen.

Colin Davey’s book, The American Museum of Natural History and How it Got that Way is truly all-encompassing. He reveals this dynamic and famous museum in a way that brings it to life: from floorplans and history, to stories about key exhibits and the men who kept it growing and changing.

Davey has written a well-researched book about one of the most well-known museums in the world. It will be inspiring.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

The American Museum of Natural History and How it Got That Way is a solidly informative piece of work that concisely explains, well, how the museum got that way. Davey starts at the very beginning, when the museum was just an idea, before any land was broken, stone shaped, or specimen shot. He works through the various proposed sites and competing concepts (such as a separate Paleozoic Museum), explains how the destruction by fire of the Barnum museum influenced things, and also presents men of vision and money and competing agendas, as well as a few who were more than a little corrupt. I had no idea, for instance, that the notorious Boss Tweed was so involved early, though of course it makes sense given his power and the timing.

Once the museum opens in 1877 (there’s a nice digression tale about the hunt for the long-lost time capsule), Davey goes through the successive directors and wings/buildings as they’re constructed, such as the Roosevelt Memorial entrance/rotunda, the Akeley African Hall, the famed dinosaur exhibits and the Hayden Planetarium, closing with an epilogue that looks forward to the upcoming Gilder Center addition.

Along the way we follow a few of the various expeditions that stocked the Museum. Such as Peary’s trips to Greenland (an exhibition that brought the world’s largest asteroid to the gallery)and his many attempts to reach the North Pole or safaris to Africa (one of the truly moving stories in this book) to bring back elephants and gorillas, among other specimens. To be honest, I wish we had delved into those expeditions a bit more fully, and others as well, such as Chapmans’ Asian forays, which are touched upon but only briefly. The same is true for the construction of the exhibits themselves—I would have like more about their design, planning, execution, such as how the great blue whale was hung for instance. We do learn some of this, such as the use of habitat dioramas, but I could have done with more. That complaint, however, is also a bit of praise, in that it shows how engaging Davey s text is that I wished for more of it. The writing is fluid and inviting throughout, and Davie does a nice job of always bringing us back to a human touch amidst the history and dates and floor plans and the like. For anyone who has ever wandered the sprawling halls of this great institution with wander-filled eyes, this is an interesting foray into how it came to be. 3.5 stars

This history does pretty much what the title claims. If there was a class being held on the topic, it would make a good textbook, and it's written like one, so it's not an overly exciting volume. But it certainly provides a factual context to the early history of both Central Park and the Museum, and this is, surprisingly. one of the most interesting parts of the book. The stories of the politics and personalities involved make for an entertaining look at how people in various spheres work both together and against each other in building city structures and cultural spaces. Teddy Roosevelt makes numerous appearances, as do various famous names in exploration and paleontology. Aside from the actual founding and early building of the museum, the main topics of interest are the development of the African dioramas and the dinosaur exhibits, Peary's arctic travels, and the history of the Hayden Planetarium and, later, the Rose Center for Earth and Space. This is an updated version of the book and includes information on new developments at the Rose Center current to December, 2018.

I have seen only an e-book review copy so can't comment on the final illustrations. Those included in the copy I received included old maps of Central Park, basic diagrams of the buildings as they evolved, and some (mostly early) black and white photos of (primarily) the rise of the building and various iterations of the large dinosaur displays. The text is liberally footnoted. The book can be used as a basic overview or as a source for interesting topics to be pursued independently.

The American Museum Of Natural History And How It Got That Way
by Colin Davey
2019
Empire State Editions/ Fordham University Press
5.0 / 5.0

When I visited NYC years ago, one of the things I most enjoyed were the museums. One of my favorites- and most interesting, to me-was the American Museum of Natural History. When I saw this book available as an ARC, I was excited and pleased to be sent an e-book copy.

The history of the museum, founded by Albert S. Bickmore in 1872, is as fascinating as the exhibits. The site finally chosen for the museum was then known as Manhattan Square (renamed Theodore Roosevelt Park in 1958)and was located on Eighth Ave., now known as Central Park West. Architects Vaux and Mould began plans for a 14th Century gothic style building. The museum opened in December 1877 to sold out seats and a private tour given to President Hayes. The first wing would be named The Bickman Wing, after its founder.
There were many challenges in keeping this museum going and growing.

Each chapter centers on different Halls or displays. The origins, influences, and ideas that came together to make these exhibits. The detailed history, central to the museum, was detailed and engaging. The lives of Bickmore, Jessop and Osborn were central and influential in the building of the museum. The dinosaur collection, the largest in the world, draws the most attendance. The Hall of North American Birds and the Hayden Planetarium (since demolished and rebuilt as the Rose Center for Earth and Science) are also amazing stories.

This is well
written and researched, the history is so influential and inspiring. Thanks to Fordham University Press and the author for sharing this e-book ARC.
#TheAmericanMuseumOfNaturalHistoryAndHowItGotThere
#NetGalley

Goodreads Rating: 4 stars

I've always loved museums and their history, so I was quite excited to see this. When I first scrolled through my Galley copy, I was worried that the book would be too technical, or too reliant on the reader already being familiar with the museum itself--but that was thankfully not the case! It was engaging and not at all technical and helped give me an appreciation for the process of establishing a museum.

Davey constructs a comprehensive history of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) from its first inklings through to modern day revampings of exhibits and the planetarium. He does so by combing through immense amounts of primary sources, citing letters, figures, and speeches from museum board members about how to best expand and fund the museum. It gives a human connection to what might have been a very dry timeline of facts and figures.

The little maps of the museum, showing the new buildings added, were immensely helpful to understanding how the museum grew--Davey definitely wants this to be accessible to more than just frequent museum goers. I have never been to the AMNH, or New York itself, but I easily understood what buildings faced what and where exhibits ended up.

In addition to the general museum history, Davey provides deep dives into the dinosaur exhibits, the history of the Peary Arctic Expedition, and the Akley African Expeditions. Both of the expeditions were heavily funded and influenced by the museum and it's members, bringing back and influencing key exhibits. These are the only bits dedicated to the collections/exhibits--if you are wanting a detailed history of these, this isn't where to look; rather, it's a history of the museum building, first and foremost.

The book closes out with a comprehensive history of the Hayden Planetarium (now the Rose Center) and its history of exhibits over the years.

This was a very enjoyable read, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in the AMNH itself, museums in general, or architecture.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, Netgalley.com and Fordham University Press. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review.

The only thing more interesting than a museum is it's history. How it came to be and grew until no trip to New York City is complete without stopping there for a visit.

The history of AMNH is as rich as it's collection and Mr. Davey has done a wonderful job of pulling together it's story. For a museum fan like myself, it was almost like being given the keys to the collection itself!

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

If "The American Museum of Natural History and How It Got That Way" missed any aspect of or failed to uncover any interesting detail on this museum, I can't imagine what that might be. Well written and beautifully organized, anyone with a question about or interest in the AMNH will doubtless find what they are looking for in the pages of this book.

Davey has been a fan of the museum since he was a child, and his love for the museum and planetarium led to the writing of this book. Not a coffee table book full of illustrations, this is instead a book about the many people who made the museum a reality. From the earliest dreams to create a repository for wondrous things, up to the architects, financiers, visionaries, explorers and collectors that made the American Museum of Natural History one of the most famous and beloved museums in the world