Books

From orchids to bananas, rhododendrons to lilies, Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka created a stunning array of glass models of plants from around the world. Working exclusively for Harvard University in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Blaschkas applied their artistic expertise and botanical knowledge to craft an extraordinary collection for Harvard students, researchers, and the public. The precise shaping and delicate coloring of the models renders life-like details that fool the eye. Such detail is captured in dazzling new photographs of models that inspire wonder and blur the line between the real and the man-made. The unique and astonishing Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants demonstrates the majesty of plants and the artistry and scientific acumen of this father and son team.

Gathered during the course of expeditions, excavations and scientific study, the millions of artifacts and specimens held in the museum cabinets at the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture represent Harvard’s continuing pursuit of knowledge about our diverse world and its history. Patterns resonate and reveal themselves in this unique photographic essay on the collections, creating intrigue, inspiration and wonder.

Delicate jellyfish and anemones, octopus, tentacled squid, and bizarre-looking soft-bodied sea creatures were meticulously recreated in glass by father and son artists Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka in the late nineteenth century. Renowned for their beauty and exacting detail, the Blaschka invertebrate models were commissioned by universities and museums throughout the world as teaching models for students of natural science and marine life. Illustrated here for the first time with breathtaking new photography are 60 of the most exquisite models from the exceptional collection of Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. Together with Harvard’s famous Glass Flowers, a new exhibit of these restored glass animals now comprises the largest Blaschka collection on display in the world.  Bursting with intricate details and stunning photography, this elegantly designed book will be a must for all those interested in marine biology, the delicate art of glass craftsmanship, the history of science, and the quiet beauty of the natural world.

Where do you find Nabokov’s butterflies, George Washington’s pheasants, and the only stuffed bird remaining from the Lewis and Clark expedition? The vast collections of animals, minerals and plants at the Harvard Museum of Natural History are among the oldest in the country, dating back to the 1700s. In the words of Edward O. Wilson, the museum stands as both “cabinet of wonder and temple of science.” Its rich and unlikely history involves literary figures, creationists, millionaires, and visionary scientists from Asa Gray to Stephen Jay Gould. Its mastodon skeleton – still on display – is even linked to one of the nineteenth century’s most bizarre and notorious murders.

The Rarest of the Rare tells the fascinating stories behind the extinct butterflies, rare birds, lost plants, dazzling meteorites and other scientific and historic specimens that fill the museum’s halls. You’ll learn about the painting that catches Audubon in a shameful lie, the sand dollar collected by Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle, and dozens of other treasures in this surprising, informative, and often amusing tour of the natural world.