Search results for ""The Natural History Museum""

The Natural History Museum, London is home to one of the world's most important collections of natural history specimens, literature and artworks. This book showcases treasures, selected both from objects on display and those stored behind the scenes. Each one is chosen for its scientific importance, striking beauty or intriguing story - and sometimes all three. Among the many exceptional natural wonders featured are: a rare meteorite from Mars; Darwin's celebrated finch specimens; a lethal claw from the dinosaur Baryonyx; one of the first forms of life on Earth; and some immaculately dressed fleas. The book also includes many architectural treasures from the magnificent Museum building itself. With intriguing stories behind each entry, this is a fascinating insight into the Museum's unrivalled collections.

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Gemstones have been a source of fascination for Millenia, from the icy brilliance of diamond and the soft iridescence of pearl, to the deep red garnets treasured by ancient Egyptians and Victorians alike. They are used for their natural beauty in jewellery, worn for protection as talismans, associated with romance and power. They are also of scientific importance, forming over billions of years and containing secrets to the inner earth. This book examines the world's most commonly encountered gemstones, exploring their unique beauty, rarity, and durability. It reveals how these gem materials formed, where they are mined, how they are identified by their physical and optical properties, their enhancements and imitations. Travelling through each gem's history and use in adornment, it is filled with fascinating facts for the curious to the professional. With sumptuous colour photographs, Gemstones is a dazzling insight into the world of the rare and valuable.

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Another fantastic adventure in the animal kingdom for readers aged 5 to 500. The Queen and her loveable pet corgi Mr Brown visit the Natural History Museum in London after hours, which they soon discover is a very different place by night. They meet its magical animal residents and learn from them some of the amazing things animals can do. Beautifully illustrated and affectionately told, this is a delightful tale of two close friends and their eventful night in the Museum.

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Wonder: The Natural History Museum Poetry Book is a beautiful gift hardback collection of poetry with poems inspired by The Natural History Museum. It covers everything from the depths of space to the very centre of the earth - there are poems about the solar system, planet earth, oceans and rivers, birds, dinosaurs, fossils, wildlife, flowers, fungi, insects, explorers and palaeontologists. Each section includes an introduction and some footnotes about particularly interesting species. The museum has a collection of over eighty million objects and behind the scenes of its twenty-eight galleries crowd kilometres of preserved specimens, libraries of rare books and artworks, wonders gathered on some of the most famous voyages in history, rooms packed with pressed plants, warehouses teeming with stuffed animals and freezers full of DNA. As well as a museum, it is a state-of-the-art centre for discovery with over three hundred resident scientists and over ten thousand visiting researchers each year, investigating everything from dinosaurs to life on other planets.The collection is made up of brand new and classic poems and is illustrated with botanical drawings and engravings from the museum’s collections.This fantastic collection speaks of the wonder of nature and shows us why we need to look after our incredible planet.

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Visit the Natural History Museum - 100 years ago. Featuring a wealth of stunning black-and-white photographs from the Museum's archives, this book offers a real flavour of life at one of London's oldest and most famous visitor attractions, from Victorian times until just after the Second World War. The photographs go back as far as the 1880s, to the earliest years of the Museum, when only a few horsedrawn carriages plied the streets of South Kensington and elephants and gorillas from distant parts of the British Empire were exhibited for the first time. In later years the Museum gardens were to be dug over for vegetable production during the Second World War and whale carcasses were buried in the grounds to allow the flesh to rot away. The book focuses on the unusual events that have taken place over the years, the characters working at and visiting the Museum, and of course the awe-inspiring specimens. Ranging from the amazing to the amusing, the images are evocative and brimming with period detail. The authors are senior archivists and well placed to share their knowledge of the stories that lie behind the silver-nitrate surface of the old photographic prints.

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The Natural History Museum is home to many rare and exceptional natural wonders - but the magnificent Museum building is itself one of London's most iconic attractions. Envisioned by Alfred Waterhouse as a cathedral of nature, the building he created is one of Britain's most striking examples of Romanesque architecture and is considered a work of art in its own right. This picture-led exploration of the building celebrates Waterhouse's unique architectural accomplishment and showcases many of the artistic gems it houses; not least it's incredibly detailed engravings, sculptures and painted ceiling.

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Each book presented here has been chosen for its scientific and artistic merit, and each one is accompanied by an essay from a museum expert, explaining its role in the development of natural history. The books featured include the oldest book in the Library, the 1469 edition of Pliny the Elder's Historia Naturalis; Albertus Seba's striking Locupletissimi Rerum published from 1734; Mark Catesby's The History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, the first published account of the flora and fauna of this area; and the stunning line drawings from Napoleon's expedition to Egypt in 1798. The Library of the Natural History Museum contains one of the most exciting and comprehensive collections of natural history literature and artworks to be found anywhere in the world.

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In autumn 1914, as Europe's military `doomsday machine' creaks into gear, the war effort at the Natural History Museum is about to spring into life. The grounds become an ad hoc military barracks, first aid units are formed and staff from across the institutions of `Albertopolis' are marshalled into the Volunteer Corps for Home Defence (Museum section). During the coming years many Government departments turn to the Museum for its scientific expertise and innovation. The knowledge held within the Museum becomes a vital repository for the military, on everything from equine anatomy to moth damage on the air balloons of the Royal Naval Air Service. In A Museum at War, historian and journalist Karolyn Shindler presents a series of compelling snapshots of life at the Museum during the Great War and demonstrates how deeply it affected the people working there. She reveals not only how the four years of war fundamentally altered all aspects of Museum life but also how the Museum itself made an important contribution to Britain's war effort.

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1895. When the newly dubbed 'Museum Detectives' are asked to investigate deliberate damage to a dinosaur skeleton at the Natural History Museum, there is evidence that the fossil-hunting mania of the notorious Bone Wars in America may have reached their shores. But for Daniel Wilson, famed for his involvement in the Jack the Ripper case, and renowned archaeologist Abigail Fenton, events soon take a sinister turn. A museum attendant is found dead in an anteroom by none other than the infamous theatre manager Bram Stoker, who it seems may have had a personal connection with the deceased. Facing pressure both from an overseas business and local celebrity, Wilson and Fenton must rely on their talents and instincts to solve their most puzzling case yet.

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Follow Hope the blue whale on her epic journey across the oceans, in this uplifting tale, inspired by the story of the real Hope the whale – one of the Natural History Museum's most loved exhibits.Told through the eyes of one little boy, this enchanting story reimagines Hope's life. As every year he looks out for Hope on her annual migration from the icy seas of the arctic, to the warm tropics. Beautifully illustrated by Laura Chamberlain, this is a stunning picture book about one of our planet's most magnificent creatures. Hope the Whale includes a fold-out, non-fiction spread at the back, with information about the real Hope the whale, as well as further facts on blue whales. Created in consultation with the Natural History Museum.

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Wonder: The Natural History Museum Poetry Book by Ana Sampson is a beautiful collection of poetry with poems inspired by The Natural History Museum. Covering everything from the depths of space to the centre of the earth, this beautiful collection includes poems about the solar system, planet earth, oceans and rivers, birds, dinosaurs, fossils, wildlife, flowers, fungi, insects, explorers and palaeontologists. Each section includes an introduction to the topic with insights into particularly interesting species.The museum has a collection of over eighty million objects and, behind the scenes of its twenty-eight galleries, it holds kilometres of preserved specimens, libraries of rare books and artworks, wonders gathered on some of the most famous voyages in history, rooms packed with pressed plants, warehouses teeming with stuffed animals and freezers full of DNA. As well as a museum, it is a state-of-the-art centre for discovery with over three hundred resident scientists and over ten thousand visiting researchers each year, investigating everything from dinosaurs to life on other planets.This collection is made up of brand new and classic poems, illustrated with botanical drawings and engravings from the museum’s collections.This fantastic collection speaks of the wonder of nature and shows us why we need to look after our incredible planet.

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Join Winnie-the-Pooh and friends for a visit to the Natural History Museum in this beautiful special edition storybook.The Dippywhat-cus?' asked Pooh. Is she the one with the teeth?'When Winnie-the-Pooh has an outing to The Natural History Museum, he comes across some very, very old dinosaurs with rather long namesWe all have a place in our hearts for the adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh told by A.A.Milne in Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. This heart-warming story is from the authorised prequel Once There Was a Bear written by highly talented author Jane Riordan in the style of A.A.Milne.Jane Riordan has a strong pedigree in writing in the style of A.A.Milne, having also created the highly successful Winnie-the-Pooh Meets the King, Winnie-the-Pooh Meets the Queen and the re-issue edition Winnie-the-Pooh Goes to London.The story features beautiful illustrations by Mark Burgess in the style of E.H.Shepard. Mark is uniquely suited to this having also illustrated Once There Was

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A comprehensive, illustrated identification guide for beginners and serious collectors alike, featuring special colour photography of specimens held at the Natural History Museum, London. Rocks are minerals are naturally occurring compounds formed by intense geological processes in the Earth's crust such as volcanic eruptions. With striking colour photography of rocks and minerals from around the globe, this detailed and easy-to-use guide is designed to help readers identify specimens and begin collecting. Fully fact checked by the Department of Mineralogy at the Natural History Museum, London, this guide will give you geological knowledge at your fingertips.

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The colourful guide to the Natural History Museum, London has been designed especially for kids to enjoy when visiting the Museum and at home. It is packed with fascinating facts and fun for all the family including puzzles, games and quizzes. The content has been developed around themes that showcase all of the Museum galleries. Each theme contains a series of questions - What is a dinosaur? How old is the Earth? What is the smallest part of you? - that can be explored within the galleries. The book also goes beyond the galleries to explore behind the scenes at the Museum including what our scientists do, what's in our collections and why they are so useful. This fun, interactive guide incorporates the latest Museum map and can be dipped into as necessary, or used to follow a route through the galleries. Kids Only aims to support family visits and facilitate children's learning and enjoyment in the galleries and beyond. It is complemented by the Museum website and will make the Museum more accessible to those unable to visit.

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Fully revised with cool, contemporary artwork, the all new Dinosaur Sticker Book is packed with over 100 stickers. Meet dinosaurs in all shapes and sizes from each of the main dinosaur groups, from ferocious hunters like Giganotosaurus to gentle giants like Diplodocus. Chomp through bite-size facts about what dinosaurs ate, how they attacked or defended themselves, and learn how to say some really big words. Guaranteed to get children hooked on these extraordinary creatures, the book is fully checked and approved by the Natural History Museum dinosaur experts.

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Another fantastic adventure in the animal kingdom for readers aged 5 to 500. The Queen and Mr Brown visit their animal friends in the Natural History Museum for another mystery tour. This time their destination is the bottom of the ocean. Beneath the waves they meet an enormous blue whale, a piglet squid and a very sociable octopus. But nothing can prepare them for what is waiting for them on bottom, the dreaded anglerfish--the ugliest fish in the sea! Strikingly illustrated and humorously told, this story is great to read aloud and for older children to read on their own.

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There is a vast collection of Indian natural history drawings in the Library of the Natural History Museum, London. Spanning a period of more than two hundred years, from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries, they depict the rich variety of animals, birds and insects to be found in India and the magnificent flora of the different regions. The Art of India presents many of these beautiful images, from fine botanical and zoological illustrations through to depictions of colourful artefacts and trinkets purchased in local markets. The artworks originate from a variety of sources that include individual artists and collectors, as well as organised studies of Indian natural history in the pursuit of science, commerce and politics. They were produced by European and Indian artists who worked to advance the understanding of Indian natural history by recording, describing, classifying and naming the flora and fauna of the country.

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Meteorites are natural objects that have fallen from space to the Earth’s surface. Once considered bad omens, they are now recognised as a unique window onto the processes that forged the formation of the solar system 4,570 million years ago. They reveal how impacts have shaped and modified planets, asteroids and moons; and they even contain evidence of astrophysical phenomena that occurred long before our solar system was born. In Meteorites, leading experts from the Natural History Museum, London provide a compelling and cutting edge introduction to the evolving science of meteoritics. They reveal what meteorites are, where they are most likely to be found, and the type of celestial bodies that they hail from. The book contains all the latest information on key meteorite falls and considers some of the big questions that still remain – such as whether our solar system is unusual in creating a planet that supports life, and if it is likely we will find complex life elsewhere. With a mix of photographs, diagrams and maps, Meteorites is essential reading for all those with an interest in the nature of our solar system.

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In 1788, nearly fifteen-hundred people on eleven sailing ships came ashore at Port Jackson in Australia after a gruelling eight month journey from England. This collection of vessels later became known as the First Fleet, and those who sailed in them were the community who established the first European colony in Australia. The Art of the First Fleet depicts the natural history of this extraordinary land, the people and culture of the local indigenous population and the events that marked these initial formative years. The collection, now housed in the Natural History Museum, provides an invaluable record of the wildlife and environment, people and events, as seen through the eyes of the colonists who laid the foundations for the European settlement of Australia. The artists' drawings of the people and culture of the Eora people, the local indigenous population of the area, provide the only lasting visual record of their lives. While images of plants and animals were not always technically accurate, they made a significant contribution to the development of science, allowing experts in Britain to be able to identify and name a large number of new species. They remain an invaluable record of the artists' attempts to make sense and order of this new land.

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This powerful collection features the 100 winning images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2016 competition. They represent the skill and talent of photographers from around the planet and the many different ways of portraying the beauty, drama and diversity of the natural world. The photographs were chosen by an international jury for their artistic merit and originality, mindful of the high ethical standards that the competition champions. The final 100, representing 22 nationalities, were selected from more than 42,000 entries from 96 countries. The book includes images of unforgettable behaviour, wild and dramatic landscapes and thought-provoking reportage. This memorable book also tells the often memorable stories behind the pictures and serves as a reminder of the truly glorious nature of life on Earth.

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For 50 years, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has championed honest and ethical wildlife photography, while pushing the boundaries of artistic freedom, technical skill and narrative excellence. This powerful collection of pictures features all the winning photographs from the 2015 competition. The collections represents the work of many international photographers, both professionals and amateurs. The photographs are chosen by an international jury for their artistic merit and originality, from categories that together represent a diversity of natural subjects. The range of styles is also diverse, as is the genre of photography, whether action, macro, underwater, landscape or environmental reportage. Together this outstanding collection is a reminder of the splendour, drama and variety of life on Earth. Each stunning photograph is accompanied by an extended caption and there is an introduction by one of the world's most respected nature photographers.

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Create your own colourful dinosaurs with the Natural History Museum's new book for young dinosaur enthusiasts, Dinosaur Colouring Book. It contains 15 scenes from the Palaeozoic era featuring T. rex, Spinosaurus, Diplodocus and many more. Drawing activities and games make learning fun, while step-by-step instructions explain how to draw your own dinosaurs. Scientists are only just starting to work out the colour of dinosaurs from dinosaur fossils. There were probably dinosaurs of all different colours like reptiles and birds today. So throughout the book readers can make them any colour or pattern that they like. With lots of amazing bite-size facts throughout, this is a brilliant introduction to the rulers of the prehistoric world.

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Presenting the latest findings from international shark reserchers, Sharks is an engaging introduction to these near-perfect predators. It describes the broad range of living sharks, explores their biology and behaviour, and dispels the myths. It is illustrated with over 100 of the best shark images from around the world.

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A special commemorative desk diary marking 60 years of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, featuring the winning images from six decades of the competition.

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For centuries the natural life of the British Isles has captured the imagination of both artists and scientists. The Art of British Natural History explores the many different ways in which Britain's flora and fauna have been documented, from engravings and watercolours to ink and charcoal drawings.The Art of British Natural History is illustrated with over 100 specially selected artworks from the collections of the Natural History Museum's Library and Archives. Together these images span 300 years of British history and include the works of major figures such as William MacGillivray, Moses Harris, Edward Wilson and Ernest Mansell. Andrea Hart's accompanying essay reveals that these images are both beautiful to look at and have also played a crucial role in advancing scientific knowledge in Britain. She also traces how these images have influenced the history of printing, art, and popular culture.

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This update to the bestselling 50 Years of Wildlife Photographer of the Year features 20 stunning new images which have come from the last 5 years of the competition. They showcase the advances that continue to be made in approach and technique. Featuring many of the greatest nature photographs of all time, this book charts the development of nature photography, from the first hand-held cameras and the colour film revolution of the 1960s, to the increasingly sophisticated photographs of wild animals and unexplored places that are taken today. The prize-winning images include ground-breaking portraits, breathtaking aerial shots, underwater photography, close-up imagery and much more. They are accompanied by captions that put the photographs in context, explaining their importance, and revealing the vision, talent, passion and technique of the world’s leading wildlife photographers. All those who are passionate about photography and who have followed this compelling competition since its inception 55 years ago will treasure this magnificent volume.

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First published in 1814, Werner's Nomenclature of Colours is a taxonomic guide to colour which been cherished by naturalists and anthropologists for over two centuries. In the late 1790's Abraham Gottlob Werner devised his own standardised colour scheme, which allowed the writer to describe even the subtlest of chromatic differences with consistent terminology. His scheme was then adapted by an Edinburgh flower painter, Patrick Syme, who traced the actual minerals described by Werner, and used them to create the colour charts found in the book. In the pre-photographic age, almost all visual details had to be captured using the written word, and scientific observers could not afford any ambiguity in their descriptions. These included Charles Darwin, for whom Werner's Nomenclature was an indispensable tool during his seminal voyage on the Beagle. Werner's Nomenclature of Colours is a charming artefact from the age of explorers, which continues to be treasured by artists and scientists alike.

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A stunning box-set for all bird lovers, containing an illustrated hardback and 36 beautiful prints.

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Our Human Story is a guide to our fossil relatives, from what may be the earliest hominins such as Sahelanthropus, dating back six to seven million years, through to our own species, Homo sapiens. Over the past 25 years there has been an explosion of species' names in the story of human evolution, due both to new discoveries and to a growing understanding of the diversity that existed in the past. Drawing on this new information, as well as their own considerable expertise and practical experience, Louise Humphrey and Chris Stringer explain in clear and accessible terms what each of the key species represents and how it contributes to our knowledge of human evolution.

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With their beautiful wing patterns and colours butterflies immediately catch our attention. Of all creatures, they exemplify metamorphosis with the creeping caterpillar transforming into a soaring butterfly. But they have also come to be creatures of science, revealing much to biologists about evolution and the ecological processes and historical accidents that have generated the diversity of life on Earth.In Butterflies leading expert Dick Vane-Wright provides a complete introduction to the biology, natural history and classification of this major group. Using examples from around the world and eye-catching photographs, he explores what it means to be a butterfly, from how the yellow birdwing finds a mate to why the African gaudy commodores produce adults of different colours.Fully revised and updated with new photographs and the latest reserach, this reformatted edition offers an overview of the biology and diversity of the major group of day-flying Lepidoptera.

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This is a fun and informative introduction to life in the world's oceans. Written and designed for young readers, it is packed with 100 re-useable stickers of fish, mammals, amphibians and invertebrates, from the great white shark to the tiny seahorse. The stickers are accompanied by fun learning pages on the behavior and habitats of the different animals, as well as details of their name, size and description. There are lots of interesting bite-size facts and some exciting puzzles and games, including a spot-the-difference puzzle. With full color illustrations throughout, this activity book is perfect for kids who want to know more about the amazing array of creatures that live underwater.

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This landmark volume presents the most memorable and beautiful pictures from six decades of the world's most prestigious wildlife photography competition.

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London's Natural History Museum holds the oldest and most important entomology collection in the world - with over 34 million insect and arachnid specimens. Interesting Insects showcases the weird, wonderful, and often surprisingly beautiful world of bugs, from shimmering stag beetles to dazzling dragonflies. For each stunning specimen there is a close-up photograph and accompanying text describing its appearance, lifestyle, distribution and size, together with its key characteristics.

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Nature's Explorers celebrates the individuals who made great personal endeavours in order to document the natural world. Their findings revolutionised our understanding of nature and gave birth to the modern fields of geography, evolutionary biology, oceanography and anthropology. From ground-breaking theorists such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace to evocative artists like Ferdinand Bauer and John James Audubon, these explorers shared an ambition to illuminate new worlds and each embodied the spirit of the Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution.

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This activity book is a colourful and informative introduction to the most common rocks and minerals. Written and designed for younger readers, it is packed with 100 reuseable stickers, from the leopardskin stone and tiger's eye to ruby, sapphire, diamond, emerald and many more. The stickers are accompanied by fun learning pages with information on how rocks and minerals form, what they are made into, and how to identify them, as well as lots of bite-size facts about their size, colour and origin. Readers can put their knowledge to the test with some exciting puzzles and games, including a colouring in activity and rocky maze, and create their own scenes by adding stickers to a colourful double page landscape spread. With full colour illustrations throughout, this book is perfect for children who want to know more about these useful and often beautiful objects.

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Amber is a remarkable substance that originates from the resin of trees that lived millions of years ago. Anything that became trapped in this sticky resin was fossilized and perfectly preserved. The insects and other inclusions found in amber today are providing scientists with unique insights into the history of life on Earth. In this new edition of "Amber", Andrew Ross provides an engaging overview of this prehistoric substance and its fossilized inclusions. The book explains how amber is formed, where it is found and how to distinguish genuine amber from fakes. It describes its many uses, both in art and science, and recounts the elusive search for DNA from fossilized insects. Detailed keys and stunning photographs, including previously unseen pieces of Burmese amber from the Museum's collections, guide the reader in the identification of species of insects and other amber inclusions. "Amber" is essential reading for all those with an interest in this natural time capsule.

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Did you know that the world's largest millipede is the length of a string of spaghetti? Or that the longest beetle on the planet can break a pencil with its powerful jaws? "Big Bugs Life-size" is the first book to feature life-size photographs of all the world's largest and most spectacular bugs. From the heaviest cockroach to the spider with the longest legs, Natural History Museum insect expert George Beccaloni describes all the essential facts about 35 mega minibeasts: where they live, what they eat and where they're found. These giant creepy crawlies are some of the most magnificent creatures on the planet and often have interesting stories associated with them. How do war-like termite soldiers defend a nest without having eyes or wings? What does the goliath bird-eating spider actually feed on? Stunningly illustrated throughout, including a special fold-out spread of the world's longest insect, "Big Bugs Life-size" gives readers an accurate idea of just how huge these creatures really are. Discover the record-breaking stick insect which is almost as long as your arm, a cockroach with the wingspan of a cereal bowl and come face to face with a fly as big as your eye.

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This commemorative portfolio displays all the 100 pictures awarded in the 2022 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, together with the stories of what they reveal and how they were created. Representing the work of photographers worldwide, they illustrate both the beauty and drama of the natural world and our conflicted relationship with it. Chosen by an international panel of judges from around 50,000 entries, the images are the work of photographers from dozens of countries and represent a worldwide range of styles and ways of seeing nature. You will find a rich variety of subjects, from wild regions, remarkable behaviour and portraits of creatures you may never have seen before, to reportage of vitally important ethical and environmental issues. Adding depth are the background stories – not just about how the pictures were made and the equipment used but also information about the subjects and why the photographers chose them.

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This commemorative portfolio displays the gallery of all the 100 pictures awarded in the 2021 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, together with the stories of what they reveal and how they were created. Representing the work of photographers worldwide, they illustrate both the beauty and drama of the natural world and our conflicted relationship with it. Chosen by an international panel of judges from around 50,000 entries, the images are the work of photographers from dozens of countries and represent a worldwide range of styles and ways of seeing nature. You will find a rich variety of subjects, from wild regions, remarkable behaviour and portraits of creatures you may never have seen before, to reportage of vitally important ethical and environmental issues. Adding depth are the background stories - not just about how the pictures were made and the equipment used but also information about the subjects and why the photographers chose them.

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Tony Hutson illuminates the nocturnal world of bats and examines how they have adapted to habitats in every corner of the world. Beginning with the fossil record and what it reveals about their relationship to other mammals, Hutson discusses their unique aerodynamics and their extraordinary feats of echolocation. He discusses their life cycle, diet and foraging strategy, breeding, roosting, and migration patterns as well as their predators, parasites, and man-made threats to their ecosystem. Bats are long-lived mammals which can form enormous colonies containing tens of millions of creatures, a concentration of mammals paralleled only by human cities. Topically, the book looks at the viruses harboured and tolerated by bats and their impact on humans. The book also contains an appendix of bat families and subfamilies and gives details of the number of genera or species, distribution, size, roost habitat and diet.

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This is a collection of exceptional images from past years of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition – the most famous and prestigious event of its kind in the world. Each portrait captures an intimate moment and reveals the character of both the individual and often of the species itself. Such images require both photographic skill and an intimacy with the subject that comes from spending long periods in the field. They have been taken by more than 50 award‑winning photographers worldwide representing more than 20 countries.

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For more than 50 years, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has championed honest and ethical wildlife photography, while pushing the boundaries of artistic freedom, technical skill, and narrative excellence. This powerful collection of pictures features all the winning photographs from the 2018 competition. The collection represents the work of many international photographers, both professionals and amateurs. The photographs are chosen by an international jury for their artistic merit and originality, from categories that represent a diversity of natural subjects. The range of styles is diverse, as is the genre of photography, including action, macro, underwater, landscape, or environmental reportage. Each photograph is accompanied by an extended caption and there is an introduction by one of the world's most respected nature photographers.

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The Birds of America is one of the best known natural history books ever produced and also the most valuable - a complete set sold at auction in December 2010 for GBP7.3 million, which is a world record for a book. First published in double elephant size (approximately a metre tall) in the first half of the nineteenth century, it is famous for its stunning life-size illustrations of birds set within landscaped backgrounds. The book was issued inparts over 11 years and only around 200 completed sets were ever produced. Less than 120 of these survive today, locked away in museums, galleries and private collections around the world. To create this edition of Audubon's masterpiece, the Natural History Museum's own original edition was disbound and each of the 435 beautiful hand-coloured prints was specially photographed. The artworks are accompanied by the scientific descriptions that were used in the original The Birds of America and there is also a new introduction by David Allen Sibley.

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The Mesozoic era ranged from 240 million to 65 million years ago. In British Mesozoic Fossils 365 species from this period are classified and illustrated with accurate line drawings. This new edition has been fully revised and updated by Dr Andrew Smith, Merit Researcher in the Natural History Museum's Palaeontology Department, reflecting advances in our understanding of the fossil record over the past years. The book's 147-page identification section features those fossil animal and plant species that are most commonly found in Britain, from abundant gastropod and bivalve molluscs to those groups, including ammonites and brachiopods, which are now extinct or relatively rare. Each of the species is illustrated with at least one drawing, which is accompanied by details of where it can be found. There is also a brief introduction to the subject, stratigraphical tables that show British Mesozoic rock formations, and a colour map of the distribution of Mesozoic strata.

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These are some of the most breathtaking images from Weather Photographer of the Year, the annual competition held by The Royal Meteorological Society. They depict thrilling weather events of every kind and often reveal fascinating stories about their impact on human society. Each image has been selected by a panel of meteorologists, photographers and photo editors who look for a combination of skillful camera work and meteorological observation. Also included are six essays which address various aspects of climate change, not least its impact on extreme weather.

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