The Authentic Animal: Inside the Odd and Obsessive World of Taxidermy

by Dave Madden

Why would someone want to create or own the mounted skin of a dead animal? That’s the question Dave Madden explores in The Authentic Animal . Madden starts his journey with the life story of Carl Akeley, the father of modern taxidermy. Akeley started small by stuffing a canary, but by the end of his life he had created the astonishing Akeley Hall of African Mammals at The American Museum of Natural History. What Akeley strove for and what fascinates Madden is the attempt by the taxidermist to replicate the authentic animal, looking as though it’s still alive. To get a first-hand glimpse at this world, Madden travels to the World Taxidermy Championships, the garage workplaces of people who mount freeze-dried pets for bereaved owners, and the classrooms of a taxidermy academy where students stretch deer pelts over foam bases. On his travels, he looks at the many forms taxidermy takes—hunting trophies, museum dioramas, roadside novelties, pet memorials—and considers what taxidermy has to tell us about human-animal relationships. The Authentic Animal is an entertaining and thought-provoking blend of history, biology, and philosophy that will make readers think twice the next time they scoff at a moose head hung lovingly on a wall.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Nature, Natural History, History, Historical

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 2, 2011

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's start with a quote because either you're gonna love this book...or you're gonna hate it. Let this quote decide for you: "From the back, the buffalo's scrotum swings jauntily to the side, as though the animal were barreling through the grassland, and as his tail is raised the anus is clearly visible, as crisp and articulated as the straw insert on a thirty-two ounce Big Gulp lid."

This is how Madden describes a taxidermy installment in a natural history museum. This is exactly the kind of snarky, in-yo-face kind of writing we need and this is why this book had me laughing out loud whilst learning lots of interesting shit I had no clue about. This is History as a wayward adventure across American culture, studying facets of that curious American institution and its pal: hunting and then sticking the head on your wall. It's much more than a history book, though. Madden goes to taxidermy functions, schools, and conventions, often questioning out loud his own purpose in doing so. He's not afraid to pour himself into the book and make fun of his own mania for trophy-collecting CD longboxes.
Taxidermy, Carl Akeley, historical taxidermy, novelty taxidermy, even human taxidermy are all discussed here in a breezy manner. That's all well and good, the actual them, but what's most entertaining, enlightening, and refreshing about this book is the collapse of an occassionally-hinted at, hypermodern, "academic", jargon-laden project that Madden had already started out with. When he decides that women might want to be hunters just because, well, hunting is fun to them, he sloughs of his gendering, cockless mantra, and returns to the fold of good old-fashioned telling-it-like-it-is. The book is very stream-of-conscious, though, with Madden pausing throughout to elaborate on his own views or experience. I didn't find this as annoying as I could've. Indeed, the whole read was a bit like just hanging out with this guy getting drunk and listening to him talk about taxidermy. See? This is what makes a winning book. Take note, academes.

[E.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew a book about taxidermy could be so damn funny? I regularly LOL'd at this, but also was blown away by Dave Madden's compassion and empathy for taxidermists and animal-lovers of all kinds. Great book. Ami Li, read it.

[Sharon]

I can't read this book right now. The writing is well done, and I'm certain that a huge amount of research was put into this book.

But I just can't read it right now. I'm a bit of an animal lover and not especially a fan of taxidermy to begin with, but it's really hitting me hard right now and I'm a bit freaked out.
I might return to it someday, but right now, this is definitely not a book I can or should be reading. Maybe once I get into the museum field I can try again.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

“When you grow up on a farm you grow up with a respect for animals threaded through your body like a nerve or the need to breathe. They are your clothes; they are your food; they are your livelihood. Carl, at a very early age, saw that taxidermy was a way to honor an animal but that shoddy taxidermy was a form of disrespect. It was like taking someone’s picture while they clambered out of the bathtub” (38).

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Random library pick.

I read this book due to my fascination with human/animal relationships and taxidermy is one that I haven't experienced/researched.

Dave Madden promises the reader a foray into the secret life and history surrounding taxidermy and some of its more prominent figures. However, in spite of Madden's attempts to not make this a biography of Carl Ackley, he does, much to my disappointment. He started off strongly by using figures like Ackley to detail taxidermy's social and commercial presence and relevance over the years which slowly devolves into Ackley's life through chapter after chapter of anecdotes.

As an anthropologist, who would have loved to study this as an MA thesis, I would have pursued contemporary interviews further in order to gain insight and perspective on the topic. Madden attempts to do this, and attempts to get a feel for the subject by attending taxidermy workshops, conferences, etc,. yet, he does not successfully answer questions like: what is the appeal of the art? what classifies it as an art generally; is there something in common to all taxidermists, what or what isn't common, for example, what really makes a taxidermist; is this the true way to capture and pay tribute to the life of an animal, like Madden asserts many times (with no explanation of where this came from, really) or is there something inspired by man's dominion over animal? Is it predominantly a westernized practice? Are there any indigenous practices recorded; indigenous opinions on the practice....etc,.

Madden lost me further after his brief discussion of animal rights activists and their take on taxidermy, which, in my opinion, was a very rushed discussion that could have occupied a larger discussion of the book instead of Ackley's first wife's monkey love.

Additionally, it is VERY, VERY clear that Madden is impartial or indifferent to animals. He clearly sees a distinction that is "us vs. them" and this colours his writing negatively. This is seen in his personal comments here and there about animals but most notably about Mrs Ackely's love for JT. Maybe his research would have revealed more if there was a passion for animals rather than just a general fascination for taxidermy in general. I felt like he was looking at the topic from a clouded, or dirty window... almost like a window shopper; someone not invested in the topic. Maybe I will pursue this as an MA topic just to cite him and professionally counter some of his assertions and opinions with a more comprehensive, academic study of taxidermy.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well...this should be interesting. It WAS interesting, funny, provocative. Interesting how taxidermists & biologists tend to leave a swath of dead animals in their path in the name of science or getting the perfect specimen. Think Log from (of?) the Sea of Cortez by Steinbeck, for example.

The whole great-white-hunter thing from back in the day was a cringefest to read, with one guy killing hundreds of animals and just leaving them there. He finally saw the light when he killed a family of gorillas. Nice. But, people in the US didn't know much about Africa then & had different ideas about animals.

Anyway, The author has a frank, in-the-present style; he's good at seeing and identifying those truthful moments. His poetry-ish/slim-volume-of-esoteric-writing background really started to show in the last chapter & that came across as a tiny bit self-indulgent, but thankfully he's a good writer, so it was okay.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really excellent, even though it wasn't exactly what I expected. I imagined this book would be more about taxidermy itself and perhaps modern practitioners and unusual uses of taxidermy, but other than a chapter primarily about the World Taxidermy Championships, it focuses on Carl Akeley - often considered the father of modern taxidermy - and natural history museums. I still loved it. Dave Madden is an excellent writer. His prose can get a bit overwrought at times, but he handles this subject matter with curiosity, humor, and reverence for animal life (I got a bit of a Mary Roach vibe from him at times in his humor and in the way he handled footnotes, so if you're a fan of her writing you might enjoy Madden's as well). The book ends up posing some interesting questions about the ethics of taxidermy and similar practices (plastination), as well as the way we treat animals in our lives in general.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there was a subject I knew little-to-nothing about, it would be taxidermy. Not sure how I ended up with this book, but I figured I was up for a bit of education. Madden does a good job looking at the history of the art while embarking on experiences to learn the ins and outs of modern taxidermy. Much of the history is tied in the story of Carl Akeley, a curious man born in the late 19th century whose interest in animals and preserving them eventually ended up with him creating a world-renowned collection of museum-quality pieces. However, there were multiple books written on Akeley, including one by his second wife, so Madden wanted to use Akeley as inspiration to see how his ideas and techniques are still being applied today and what innovations have come in the 100 years since Akeley did his mounts. To do so, Madden takes readers to taxidermy school, where hobbyists and professionals alike can hone their skills; the World Taxidermy Championships to see the best of the best mounted animals, though beauty is in the eye of the beholder and those eyes put a fine attention to detail, and on visits to individuals who utilize taxidermy for very specialized purposes.
My overall opinion is that taxidermy is a very expensive means to un-naturally preserve nature. My dog passed away a few months ago and as much as I loved him, I don't know that I would want to walk past his skin stretched over a wooden frame with glass eyes looking at me every day, but having to move and dust him as part of my house cleaning routine. That said, Madden concurs with a point that Akeley made, that taxidermy has enabled the public to visualize the size and general structure of wildlife that they would otherwise never encounter. He doesn't specify, but I wouldn't be surprised if among Akeley's mounts, there are animals that have gone extinct or nearly so, where these preserved remains are our last chance to know even a little about that animal.

[Levi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think my review would be closer to a 3.5 than a 4, but it's hard for me to say.

I have to say the author is thorough with his research, and this is highlighted by his notes on source material at the end of the book. This was nice to see and gave some insight into how the book came together.

Madden does a pretty good job of exploring taxidermy from a variety of angles and struggles to come to grips with what exactly it is about taxidermy that so appeals to him and many others. By struggles I mean he works hard to try and untangle it.

Like other reviewers have pointed out he uses the biography of the "godfather" of taxidermy Carl Akeley in order to hold the narrative together. Being new to the history of taxidermy, I didn't mind it so much. But I can see where this would bother others. Instead of using the stories of modern taxidermists or other historical figures of importance more (William Hornaday for example), he focuses strongly on the life of Akeley to illuminate the difficulty of taxidermy, its roots, its evolution, what it means to people and the mindset of people who engage themselves with animals in such a way.

Overall I think Madden's look at the "odd and obsessive world of taxidermy" is an interesting one and perfect for anyone interested in the art/science of it, as well an exploration of taxidermy in terms of animal human relationships.

[Leanne Clydesdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the exploration of taxidermy, and how it was paralleled against the story of Carl Akerley. It was interesting to learn about the many layers taxidermy has across our human culture. I felt like we were given insight into parts of humans morbid interests that most of us are unlikely to explore ourselves. This was well written, funny in places and insightful. It was also really great to get Madden's relationship with taxidermy as a means of grounding the writing and understand his experiences and bias - which in the end don't seem to change much after the research.

I love animals and choose to see taxidermy displays as a monument of killing and our ability to disregard animal lives for our needs for creativity. But can also recognise the other perspectives here - as some pieces really do take your breath away and offer opportunities to look closer at animals that I'll never meet in my lifetime - but they're dead. That doesn't sit well with me. My disappointment with this was the very limited exploration into the anti-taxidermy opinion, and that after it all - the final sentence is simply an opinion that has an extremely negative impact on our treatment of animals "We are not animals" - is this a fact? I thought we all knew by now that we are....? "We are given them".... I cannot imagine what treatment animals receive because of this opinion. Shame.

[robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taxidermy then and now; i found it interesting historically, I had no idea it had come so far (the early taxidermy is described as skins stuffed with straw, which is sad and comical to imagine. Weird bean bags is what I picture).

If you hate taxidermy on principle, this book won't change your mind and isn't trying to. But the next time you're in a natural history museum, you may find yourself eying the animal mounts with a slightly more educated and critical or appreciative eye.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really excellent writing (if a bit oddly descriptive) and an interesting read. More of a biography of Carl Akeley with some side information on natural history museums and other taxidermy figureheads, but worth the read.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read. Utterly compelling.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

More a biography of Carl Akeley’s contributions to taxidermy than a thorough exploration of the world of taxidermy. Ultimately an enjoyable and informative read, but dense and slow.

[Jak Krumholtz]

Lost interest about seventy pages in.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

note to self: notice how the author makes amusing anecdotes about a practice that is taken for granted (taxidermy), yet is probably both hated and revered at once. This book will most likely not get a lot of favorable attention, but yet maybe the author doesn't want that. He might simply want to tell us (in exasperating detail) how this practice came about. However, we don't really talk about it. We'll talk about zoos more than taxidermy. They might even laugh at it. Do we laugh when we see dead carcasses on the side of the road? We don't laugh when we see animals in a museum, but yet we laugh when we see them in a zoo because they make us happy. Is the author trying to make us happy about taxidermy by making fun of it? I wonder. Is he writing for a specific group of people? Will this book cause others to take hunting more or less seriously?

Regardless, I wasn't expecting to laugh really hard at the beginning (he talks about taxiderming pets! PETS!) then feel like crying over his observations about what taxidermy means to us ultimately. This book will make me think twice when I see a deer head in a restaurant or visit the natural history museum. But I think those types of things are boring (as do I think it's boring to watch Ben Stiller in Night at the Museum interact with the same things when they are brought to life). But everyone loves zoos; taxidermy seems like it's dying (another reason why the book might have been written) because how many animals can we taxidermy before destroying them?

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of a bunch of books by my friends that I'll be reading over the next month or two, none of which I'll give star ratings nor say anything bad about, but all the compliments I pay them will be true, like this one: Dave's fun and friendly look at taxidermy is one of the most enjoyable books I've read recently.

Most popular niche nonfiction is usually content to introduce us to its topic and ask, like a stranger making small talk at your bar mitzvah table, "Isn't that interesting?" Dave's particular gift as a writer sets The Authentic Animal apart. He notices the complex questions lurking in the vicinity of his subject and to break path to follow them around looking for their answers. Dave wants to ask, and for the reader to help him answer, what the preservation of animal skins says about our relationship to nature, death, memory, and art. Those matters might not be as important as Dave wants them to seem, but you forgive him that when you comes across a sentence like, "As [the buffalo's] tail is raised the anus is clearly visible, as crisp and articulated as the straw insert on a thirty-two-ounce Big Gulp lid."

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would actually give this 2.5 stars; I'm not sure if some of my problems with it were more a byproduct of my own (perhaps unreasonable) expectations. I do think the title and description of the book are both misleading -- I wanted this to be an examination of taxidermy, both past and present, and the physical process involved in it. I wanted to know what makes taxidermy enthusiasts tick, both in Western cultures and non. And there are very brief sections that kind of explore the "collector mindset", hunting, and novelty taxidermy, but the majority of this book is just an exhaustively-researched biography of Carl Akeley, arguably the father of modern taxidermy practices. As biographies go, I'm sure it's good. It's just not the taxidermy book I wanted to read at all.

[J.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The difficulty with a great number of books that attempt to catalogue or illuminate a given industry or segment of our society is that they often end up opening more threads than they close, so we read to learn or uncover and yet end up with a bigger reading list of equally interesting secondary sources. But Dave Madden’s The Authentic Animal: Inside the Odd and Obsessive World of Taxidermy avoids this pitfall by selecting the subject of taxidermy, a practice with enough of a lifespan to tell an engaging story and yet such a tight cultural focus that it can be sutured completely (and entertainingly) in a single, well-written book."

Read the full review at The Nervous Breakdown: http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ty...

[Linnae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably more than most people ever wanted to know about the art and history of taxidermy. I've never really understood the urge to put an animal head on your wall. I went on a date once with a guy who took me to Cabela's, (an outdoor/hunter's outfitter type mega store) to look at all the dead animals taxidermy. There wasn't a second date.

I thought this book might help gain some perspective on it. It did, in a way. I can see a little better why some people would choose to become a taxidermist: to make money, to help advance science (for museums and such), for the challenge and or/artistry.

I still think it's kinda creepy.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Surprisingly literary, incredibly well-written story of taxidermy. Traces the life of Akeley along with many others, and delves into modern taxidermy rather deeply. Don't read this one if you haven't a strong stomach for viscera, for flesh-eating insects, and above all, for trophy hunting.

I don't really know what I expected after picking this up by serendipity in my local library. I only know that I was pleasantly surprised by both the content and the literary quality of this book. Highly recommended.

[pearl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its structure--or lack thereof--made for a rambling and unfocused... well, what was it after all? Not a treatise on taxidermy exactly; rather, a personal account of a man who finds himself entranced by the obsessive magic of a niche art/skill/hobby/business, who, however, never actually partakes in it otherwise. What I wanted was more taxidermy talk itself, more method, exposition, &c. But this wasn't bad of course. The writing thrills with the enthusiasm of someone freshly devoted. It was an enjoyable read.

[D.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite odd histories, and a fascinating quirky intelligently written book. I want to say, "you'll never look at dead animals the same way again," but I really don't know how it is that you look at dead animals. Here, though, one writer's penetrating, intelligent if slightly morbid look at this bizarre human habit of killing creatures and then trying to make them look alive again. Looking forward to Dave Madden's forthcoming book of short stories, "If You Need Me, I'll be Over There."

[Jeramey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this shortly after reading Blechman's "Pigeons". For whatever reason, I expected them to be much the same. If you're going to read one book outside of your normal subject matter, I would go with Pigeons.

This is a good story, but it gets lost at many points along the way. I'm not sure the book is ordered in the most logical way either, with lots of tangents towards and away from its quasi main character.

[Claire Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it in a little over three sittings, and throughly enjoyed being buoyed about history, museums, and rural garage skin-shops by Madden. He's a very present narrator who disappears when he isn't called upon, then reappears at the proper moment with a literary, self-aware voice. Fascinating stuff!

[David Rickert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't the slightest interest in taxidermy, but I read a review of this book somewhere and thought it would be an interesting read. The book didn't disappoint. This is a fascinating look at something that many people find a little strange, perhaps a bit repulsive, but definitely a practice and hobby that is part of our cultural fabric. Very absorbing.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this was a super interesting book on something I never think about. I picked it up because I read a review (in Bookcase I think) and decided it sounded like fun. If you have ever wondered about taxidermy or how we got all these things in museums or even if you are just a bit curious, this is the book for you.

[Bridgitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fascinating, strange book. I picked it up because it includes a history of Carl Akeley, among other things, and it has a ton of great detail. Madden culled a lot of primary sources to piece together a (albeit sometimes overstepping) historical narrative while also contemplating the place of taxidermy and animal-human relationships today.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars, really. Extremely readable and full of charming tidbits that make for excellent dinner conversation. Perhaps a little scattered, but my chief complaint was a lack of illustrations. Surely a little insert of color photos could have been added? I ended up googling many of the taxidermy works mentioned.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd topic but interesting story. I learned quite a bit and even saw a feegee mermaid at a local museum. It was a lot about Carl Akeley, the father of taxidermy and I wish he had included more about Barnum. His notes on the source material are terrific. If there was ever a book wanting for photos this is it.