What do you think?
Rate this book
Dinosaurs in the Attic: An Excursion into the American Museum of Natural History
Dinosaurs in the Attic is a chronicle of the expeditions, discoveries, and scientists behind the greatest natural history collection every assembled. Written by former Natural History columnist Douglas J. Preston, who worked at the American Museum of Natural History for seven years, this is a celebration of the best-known and best-loved museum in the United States.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
128 people are currently reading
2067 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Preston
178 books13.4k followersDouglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley. Following a distinguished career at a private nursery school--he was almost immediately expelled--he attended public schools and the Cambridge School of Weston. Notable events in his early life included the loss of a fingertip at the age of three to a bicycle; the loss of his two front teeth to his brother Richard's fist; and various broken bones, also incurred in dust-ups with Richard. (Richard went on to write The Hot Zone and The Cobra Event, which tells you all you need to know about what it was like to grow up with him as a brother.)
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
July 28, 2009
Now this was satisfying from nearly beginning to end. It's a look at New York City's natural history museum, split into two parts. The first is a more straightforward history of the institution, both how it came about as well as how the philosophy of managing an enormous natural history collection developed over the years. The second half is a look at some of the specific pieces in the collection, selected to illustrate various aspects of the mission of the museum. And, let me stress, it had A LOT of Ripley's Believe It Or Not type trivia facts. Isn't that what really sparks the interest of a six year old kid in a museum in the first place? And did you know there are broken plaster casts of dinosaurs buried in Central Park? Coincidentally, this book was written in the mid 80s, which was about the time I first became very familiar with the AMNH, and shortly before the explosion of brightly colored and loud interactive displays at museums. I know I'm a curmudgeon, but I cannot express how much I hate that trend in museums. Oftentimes, the display is broken to begin with, and even if it's not, I'm put off by how manky all the buttons and screens are after having been touched by countless grabby people, many of whom would seem to have recently eaten greasy food. In addition to being generally informative, I loved this book because it created such a vivid picture of the natural history museums I remember. Museums where you were supposed to be quiet and contemplative and smell like floor polish. If you need me, I'll be yelling at kids to get off my lawn.
Grade: A+
Recommended: To armchair naturalists, fans of natural history museums, and people who enjoy reminiscing about New York City cultural touchstones.
2008/11
Grade: A+
Recommended: To armchair naturalists, fans of natural history museums, and people who enjoy reminiscing about New York City cultural touchstones.
2008/11
July 25, 2023
A really interesting and enjoyable look at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. This was written by Douglas Preston who worked at the museum for seven years and is also the author along with Lincoln Child of one of my favorite series of thriller novels, the Pendergast stories. I can see now where Preston obtained a lot of his background information for the series and for some of his other novels such as Tyrannosaur Canyon and The Ice Limit. Of course, many of the Pendergast stories took place in the museum including Relic, Reliquary, Dance of Death, and Book of the Dead. The museum is also the setting for the popular movie Night at the Museum starring Ben Stiller and Robin Williams.
The book chronicles how the museum came to be and how its many collections were obtained. In its early years, the museum sponsored expeditions to obtain dinosaur fossils, acquire specimens from all over the world including Africa, South America, and Asia, and to explore uncharted areas of the earth like the Arctic. Much insightful and interesting information about the explorers and museum curators is included. One of the most interesting was Roy Chapman Andrews who was the real person who Indiana Jones was modeled after. He led an expedition for the museum to Outer Mongolia in search of dinosaur fossils and the missing link which was quite successful. Along the way he had to fight off bandits...he dressed with a gun at his hip and a rifle at the ready.
The book goes on to describe the museum's many collections including fossils, mammals, insects, birds, reptiles, anthropological exhibits, meteorites, and gems. Another interesting story related tells of the great jewel robbery of 1964 where many of the museum's priceless jewels were stolen (very reminiscent of Dance of Death by Preston & Child). Overall, I really enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone interested in natural history or any fan of the Preston/Child novels.
The book chronicles how the museum came to be and how its many collections were obtained. In its early years, the museum sponsored expeditions to obtain dinosaur fossils, acquire specimens from all over the world including Africa, South America, and Asia, and to explore uncharted areas of the earth like the Arctic. Much insightful and interesting information about the explorers and museum curators is included. One of the most interesting was Roy Chapman Andrews who was the real person who Indiana Jones was modeled after. He led an expedition for the museum to Outer Mongolia in search of dinosaur fossils and the missing link which was quite successful. Along the way he had to fight off bandits...he dressed with a gun at his hip and a rifle at the ready.
The book goes on to describe the museum's many collections including fossils, mammals, insects, birds, reptiles, anthropological exhibits, meteorites, and gems. Another interesting story related tells of the great jewel robbery of 1964 where many of the museum's priceless jewels were stolen (very reminiscent of Dance of Death by Preston & Child). Overall, I really enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone interested in natural history or any fan of the Preston/Child novels.
March 3, 2014
I have a whole new appreciation for the museum now. First of all, they is so much more there than I ever realized. There are 2 million butterflies, the skeletons of 100 elephants, 60,000 fish in jars of alcohol, a grasshopper found on the observation deck of the Empire State building, 4,000 Asian shadow puppets, 8 million anthropological artifacts, and the list goes on and on. A tiny fraction of all that's housed in the museum is out on display, which is shocking considering how much is on display.
Not only is there an overwhelming amount of items at the museum, but I had no idea just how much work and devotion went into the collections. The dirt on the ground of any one of the many stuffed animal displays is the *actual* dirt from where than animal was collected. The entire scene is an exact replication, down to the way the tree branch is bent and the way the smoke from the volcano is billowing in the background.
I had also always assumed that the museum just gather up collections from other people. I didn't realize just how much of the collection was gathered by the museum itself. The first half of the book is filled with tales of adventure from museum sponsored expeditions.
In short, this is a fun read with lots of random tidbits. If you've been too, or plan to visit the American Natural History Museum, it's well worth a read.
Not only is there an overwhelming amount of items at the museum, but I had no idea just how much work and devotion went into the collections. The dirt on the ground of any one of the many stuffed animal displays is the *actual* dirt from where than animal was collected. The entire scene is an exact replication, down to the way the tree branch is bent and the way the smoke from the volcano is billowing in the background.
I had also always assumed that the museum just gather up collections from other people. I didn't realize just how much of the collection was gathered by the museum itself. The first half of the book is filled with tales of adventure from museum sponsored expeditions.
In short, this is a fun read with lots of random tidbits. If you've been too, or plan to visit the American Natural History Museum, it's well worth a read.
July 30, 2009
Douglas Prestonn was on the staff of the Amer. Museum of Natural History and authored a monthly column on the Museum in "Natural History' magazine. This was his first book. Lincoln Child was the editor. This is how the team of Preston/Child became partners in mystery writing. Child became so interested in the American Museum of Natural Hisotry and all it's many stories and secrets after reading Preston's book that he knew they had a winner if they could join forces and use the Museum in their mystery stories. Just the architecture of the building itself lends itself to the noir.
I was captivated by the many secrets and facts that Preston presents to the reader to explain how the American Museum of Natural History was started, how the collections were amassed and the importance of the Natural History Museum. He envokes a visit to the Museum to view the articles he tells the facinating stories about.
This was a well written review of some of the authors favorite aquisition stories or what he feels are the most interesting items in the different halls of the museum. He researched, investigated and interviewed to collect his information. Then he presented it in a very enjoyable read.
I was captivated by the many secrets and facts that Preston presents to the reader to explain how the American Museum of Natural History was started, how the collections were amassed and the importance of the Natural History Museum. He envokes a visit to the Museum to view the articles he tells the facinating stories about.
This was a well written review of some of the authors favorite aquisition stories or what he feels are the most interesting items in the different halls of the museum. He researched, investigated and interviewed to collect his information. Then he presented it in a very enjoyable read.
April 5, 2022
This was so great! If I was going to have a love affair with a book, this would probably be the one. Interesting, smart, fun, nerdy, and ultimately irresistible. Take this one home, ladies, because he's a keeper!
January 3, 2025
I might be biased but I prefer the Field Museum in Chicago 🏛️❤️
September 29, 2025
I really really enjoyed this book. The only thing I wish is that there was an updated publication with notes about changes to the museum and or artifacts since the mid 1980s.
August 1, 2018
Dinosaurs in the Attic is split into two parts. The first part gives an overview of the history of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The second part is a collection of random stories about some of the museum’s artifacts. The writing style is excellent. I found it hard to put the book down which is quite unusual for me reading a nonfiction book. It made me want to go visit the museum one day (which I just may be able to arrange very soon during a long layover in NYC on my way to Ireland). I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes of museums.
June 30, 2012
Great read, if a little outdated. Some of the halls he mentions (like the Hall of North American Birds) sadly, don't exist any more at the Museum. As a former volunteer, it was great to read about some of my favorite artifacts and how they got into their respective exhibits.
January 14, 2022
This was such an interesting history of the Museum of natural history in NYC. Half of the book was the actual history of how and why the museum came into being, along with the history of presidents and directors and the expansion of museum. The other half of the book is rather like a walking tour of the museum broken up into chapters by museum subjects: dinosaur bones, mammals, insects, amphibians and reptiles, birds, anthropology, meteorites, and gems. There are so many fascinating tidbits of trivia, information and recorded chats with curators and scientists working within the museum.
I was interested in this book because the author wrote a mystery thriller, Relic, which took place in this museum. His descriptions and information about the museum within that novel fascinated me to the point that I wanted factual truth.
This took me a few weeks to read because I didn't want to rush it and I wanted to savor each chapter. So while it's not a propulsive book, each chapter was equally interesting, curious and fascinating, with lots of stories of archaeological digs, treasure hunts, acquisitions of valuable finds, etc.
This was written in 1986 and I'm sure that much has changed within the museum as well as having acquired new valuable historical artifacts. Because the author is primarily a fiction author, I feel that he can spin a good story with even the most mundane of information. His recounting of facts was quite decorous, and more interesting than a simple regurgitation of history.
If you enjoy historical nonfiction, this particular museum, or archaeology you will like this book. Don't even hesitate to pick it up.
I was interested in this book because the author wrote a mystery thriller, Relic, which took place in this museum. His descriptions and information about the museum within that novel fascinated me to the point that I wanted factual truth.
This took me a few weeks to read because I didn't want to rush it and I wanted to savor each chapter. So while it's not a propulsive book, each chapter was equally interesting, curious and fascinating, with lots of stories of archaeological digs, treasure hunts, acquisitions of valuable finds, etc.
This was written in 1986 and I'm sure that much has changed within the museum as well as having acquired new valuable historical artifacts. Because the author is primarily a fiction author, I feel that he can spin a good story with even the most mundane of information. His recounting of facts was quite decorous, and more interesting than a simple regurgitation of history.
If you enjoy historical nonfiction, this particular museum, or archaeology you will like this book. Don't even hesitate to pick it up.
September 3, 2022
Did you know that if you visit the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, you can see "a million spiders, 50 million bones, 1 million birds, 600,000 fishes in jars of alcohol, 1 thirty-ton meteorite, eight million anthropological artifacts, one balding tarantula named Blondie, two skulls of Tyrannosaurus rex, several dozen dinosaur eggs, 4000 Asian shadow puppets, 264,000 amphibians and reptiles, a stuffed gray parrot that once belong to Houdini, the skeleton of Jumbo the elephant, 120,000 rocks and minerals, the Star of India sapphire, a grasshopper found on the observation deck of the 88th floor of the Empire State building, 8.5 million invertebrates, one Copper Man, 250,000 mammals and one dodo bird."? The best part is that author Douglas Preston selects the most interesting, mystifying and incredulous items and presents their back story. You would be surprised at the shenanigans that went on in acquiring some of the most precious stones and neolithic bones. You would be surprised at some of the scientific theories surrounding certain rare items. This book is a fascinating adventure into the history of the world and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
July 1, 2021
Spoiler Alert: The dinosaurs are actually in the basement.
This is a short history of the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. The same museum that was featured in the first “Night at the Museum” in that movie franchise. Published in 1986, the book is a little dated in language and observations of non-Eurocentric cultures. But overall it was a fine and interesting introduction to the museum and its collections. Thank you Melissa for giving this to me (my 2012 boarding pass was still tucked into its pages! You were right, it was a “my kind of book”, full of factoids and trivia.
This is a short history of the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. The same museum that was featured in the first “Night at the Museum” in that movie franchise. Published in 1986, the book is a little dated in language and observations of non-Eurocentric cultures. But overall it was a fine and interesting introduction to the museum and its collections. Thank you Melissa for giving this to me (my 2012 boarding pass was still tucked into its pages! You were right, it was a “my kind of book”, full of factoids and trivia.
July 31, 2017
what joy it would be to visit the actual museum
December 3, 2020
Trapped (like everyone else) by the pandemic, I decided to read this book to get a sense of being somewhere else. Though published in 1986, the book does a great job of bringing to life the Museum of Natural History. I've been going there since I was a kid but it brought it to life for me even though I can't currently get there. The book told me stories behind the exhibits that were fascinating.
June 17, 2017
As a kid I read any story I could get my hands on about archeological expeditions, survival under harsh conditions and intrepid explorers. I devoured drama in the Gobi desert; pack ice and bitter cold above the Arctic Circle and in Antarctica and more. Dinosaurs in the Attic is the adult version of those tales. The 1st half of the book details some of the expeditions underwritten and staffed by the U.S. Museum of Natural History; the 2nd part dives into some of the lesser known collections. Who knew a single, obscure species of bug could be so important? Best of all, Dinosaurs in the Attic shows these expeditions, these collections are valuable not just for the artifacts or numbers of species brought back to the Museum, but how they allow research into natural history and vanished cultures to continue and expand as new scientific analysis tools develop. Groundbreaking research was done on animal or insect species when the collections were first assembled; now new research can be done using DNA analysis, providing amazing new insights.
December 10, 2015
Definitely an interesting read, although I was a bit underwhelmed at how much of the controversy surrounding the anthropology collection was brushed aside. There would have been space to delve a bit more into the ethical questions raised by museum collecting practices (particularly in the early days), so parts come across as being a bit tone-deaf. Whether or not this was the author's decision or an editorial choice is unclear, as he certainly addresses these issues in his fiction set in the museum. Otherwise, definitely a fun book for museum lovers.
November 1, 2017
This book is a fun punch bowl of facts about one of my favorite museums. But, there is one turd swimming around in it: a casual attitude about the racism built into institutions of this type. Example: in the introduction, the author boasts that the AMNH includes in its collection "...100 complete elephants, and the largest skeletal collection of Manhattan aborigines, among others." Try substituting the word "Jews" for "Manhattan Aborigines" and you can imagine the uproar that would understandably follow such insensitivity. Keep in mind that whites would sometimes cut the heads off Native warriors fallen on the battlefield and sell their heads to museums.
While Preston writes extensively about how a white scientist went unpunished for the murder of his Indigenous guide in the Arctic, he sweeps the dirty story of the Museum's treatment of a little Inuk boy under the rug. In 1897 Robert E. Peary deposited six Indigenous people from northern Greenland at the Museum - living specimens for "scientific" study AND public display. Minik's father was among the four who died within the first year, and the Museum lied to the 7 year old Minik about what they were doing with his father's remains. See the book "Give Me My Father's Body" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
The statue in front of the Museum - Teddy Roosevelt (who helped decimate the elephant population of Africa) depicts the President astride a horse, with a Native American and an African standing (sans horses) next to him. This says it all: the white man uber alles. Native activists and their allies have demanded its removal. Getting rid of this statue would be an act of education and redemption. As well, the Museum should 'fess up to its crimes, return the sacred remains of the Indigenous peoples it has callously harvested along with insects, monkeys, and rocks, and apologize profusely and publicly for its role in the suppression of Native peoples and people of color around the globe. It's a great place for learning, the Museum, and it needs to learn a few lessons itself. Preston's book is not a help in this regard.
While Preston writes extensively about how a white scientist went unpunished for the murder of his Indigenous guide in the Arctic, he sweeps the dirty story of the Museum's treatment of a little Inuk boy under the rug. In 1897 Robert E. Peary deposited six Indigenous people from northern Greenland at the Museum - living specimens for "scientific" study AND public display. Minik's father was among the four who died within the first year, and the Museum lied to the 7 year old Minik about what they were doing with his father's remains. See the book "Give Me My Father's Body" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
The statue in front of the Museum - Teddy Roosevelt (who helped decimate the elephant population of Africa) depicts the President astride a horse, with a Native American and an African standing (sans horses) next to him. This says it all: the white man uber alles. Native activists and their allies have demanded its removal. Getting rid of this statue would be an act of education and redemption. As well, the Museum should 'fess up to its crimes, return the sacred remains of the Indigenous peoples it has callously harvested along with insects, monkeys, and rocks, and apologize profusely and publicly for its role in the suppression of Native peoples and people of color around the globe. It's a great place for learning, the Museum, and it needs to learn a few lessons itself. Preston's book is not a help in this regard.
October 25, 2024
This is one of books I've owned the very longest - I think my dad got it me for Christmas after the first time I visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York when I was like 7 or 8... this thing has been sitting on various shelves of mine for more than 20 years until now. I wish I'd read it sooner. It's a charming and entertaining time-capsule of stories and history, about a place I've always put on a pedestal.
Even compared to the average once-dinosaur-obsessed kid, the AMNH has always been pretty special for me. After my first visit there on that family trip, I declared that I would one day move to New York and work there. Later I wrote and illustrated a story for a kids-"publish"-their-own-book bind-up where I got trapped overnight in the AMNH and all the dinosaurs etc. came to life and started chasing me through the halls. Sound familiar? Night at the Museum came out in 2006, a couple years after I wrote that story. I've always been kind of suspicious that someone at the bind-up company took my idea and sold it to a screenwriter. What's even crazier is that the movie happened to come out on my birthday (and yes we did go see it as part of my party).
I actually almost did end up working at the AMNH a few decades later. I applied to their grad school program and visited for an interview. By then I'd already worked in the rear chambers (where all the good stuff is) for the Field Museum and Smithsonian, so the novelty of the concept as a whole had somewhat worn off by the time I got backstage tours of the AMNH's collections, but it still felt like a significant moment to see it. I didn't get in, but I still have academic contacts there and have gone back for casual visits, both to the exhibits and the collections, several times over the years.
All that is to say, for me reading this book was a bit more fun than it might be for the average AMNH-goer. The place just looms in my id. With its somewhat cheeky tone the book is an excellent and entertaining history of how the Museum got its start, who the key players were (especially during its "Golden Age" of expeditions and collecting from ~1890-1920), and how it got where it is today. Honestly, even though this book was written in the 80s, I didn't find it all that dated, at least in terms of its descriptions of the exhibits (I often say that many of the AMNH's exhibits, such as its dinosaur halls, are in dire need of updates). Many if not all of the items described in the book are still on display. It's pretty wild how much history and importance a single object can have - the AMNH and this book both are monuments to that fact.
Even compared to the average once-dinosaur-obsessed kid, the AMNH has always been pretty special for me. After my first visit there on that family trip, I declared that I would one day move to New York and work there. Later I wrote and illustrated a story for a kids-"publish"-their-own-book bind-up where I got trapped overnight in the AMNH and all the dinosaurs etc. came to life and started chasing me through the halls. Sound familiar? Night at the Museum came out in 2006, a couple years after I wrote that story. I've always been kind of suspicious that someone at the bind-up company took my idea and sold it to a screenwriter. What's even crazier is that the movie happened to come out on my birthday (and yes we did go see it as part of my party).
I actually almost did end up working at the AMNH a few decades later. I applied to their grad school program and visited for an interview. By then I'd already worked in the rear chambers (where all the good stuff is) for the Field Museum and Smithsonian, so the novelty of the concept as a whole had somewhat worn off by the time I got backstage tours of the AMNH's collections, but it still felt like a significant moment to see it. I didn't get in, but I still have academic contacts there and have gone back for casual visits, both to the exhibits and the collections, several times over the years.
All that is to say, for me reading this book was a bit more fun than it might be for the average AMNH-goer. The place just looms in my id. With its somewhat cheeky tone the book is an excellent and entertaining history of how the Museum got its start, who the key players were (especially during its "Golden Age" of expeditions and collecting from ~1890-1920), and how it got where it is today. Honestly, even though this book was written in the 80s, I didn't find it all that dated, at least in terms of its descriptions of the exhibits (I often say that many of the AMNH's exhibits, such as its dinosaur halls, are in dire need of updates). Many if not all of the items described in the book are still on display. It's pretty wild how much history and importance a single object can have - the AMNH and this book both are monuments to that fact.
September 26, 2023
Douglas Preston is one of my very favorite authors; along with writing partner, Lincoln Child, he's created two of my favotite series as well as a list of his own amazing books, fiction & non-fiction. His non-fiction books are nearly as adventurous & exciting as his thrilling fiction books. From trips across deserts exploring Native American cultures to South American jungles searching for lost cities to his newest soon-to-be-released exploration of an Egyptian pharaoh's tomb, his love of history, exploration, & discovery is boundless. The book I just finished, Dinosaurs in the Attic, was his first published non-fiction book; it takes you on an armchair tour of the American Museum of Natural History in New York (also the setting for one of the greatest books ever & the first Pendergast novel, Relic). From the museum's earliest pre-history to its creation & construction & through the many larger-than-life exploratory expeditions to gather the amazing discoveries displayed inside its walls (& the countless items too numerous to be displayed & stored in its many buildings), this book tells the fascinating stories of acquisitions such as the animals & items used to create lifelike dioramas, the reconstructed skeletons of dinosaurs & other pre-historic creatures, the artifacts collected for the preservation of now-extinct peoples & cultures, famous meteorites & precious gems, & so many more wonders. Many of these expeditions would make thrilling adventure movies on their own much like the Indiana Jones films (which actually involved the real life prototype for Indy). These adventures cover the world including the Arctic & Antarctic. It's a riveting read & I loved it.
October 1, 2023
The author, Douglas Preston, does a good job in providing an interesting and engaging narrative of some of the explorers, scientists, collectors, and curators and their collections of The American Museum of Natural History. He admits at the beginning that what he has written about is just a small part of the museum’s history. His selections provide interesting tales, and some of the most fascinating is in the second half where the Preston writes about some of the museum collections.
An example of some of the facts the author provides comes from the chapter on insects:
“ . . . insects and spiders . . . Make up fully 45 percent of the Museum’s entire collection of 35 million specimens. . . . At last count there were 16,167,000 insects and spiders in the collection. Despite the small size of insects, over 90,000 square feet of Museum space are required to house them safely.
A brief sampling of the collection would turn up over 1 million spiders (the largest collection in the world), 1.6 million beetles, 8 million social insects (such as ants and termites), and 2 million butterflies.”
That is what the Museum had when the book was published in 1986. And this is only a fraction of the museum’s story. The author’s coverage of other parts of the Museum, such as bones and elephants, is equally fascinating.
An example of some of the facts the author provides comes from the chapter on insects:
“ . . . insects and spiders . . . Make up fully 45 percent of the Museum’s entire collection of 35 million specimens. . . . At last count there were 16,167,000 insects and spiders in the collection. Despite the small size of insects, over 90,000 square feet of Museum space are required to house them safely.
A brief sampling of the collection would turn up over 1 million spiders (the largest collection in the world), 1.6 million beetles, 8 million social insects (such as ants and termites), and 2 million butterflies.”
That is what the Museum had when the book was published in 1986. And this is only a fraction of the museum’s story. The author’s coverage of other parts of the Museum, such as bones and elephants, is equally fascinating.
September 16, 2022
What a fascinating book. This book was published in 1986 and it predates the author's fictional career. It is a wonderful history of the American Museum of Natural History in NYC from its inception in 1877 or so. Big money was needed from the likes of JP Morgan, Morris Jesup and other millionaires of the day.
Exhibitions and collections were essential and are the foundation of the museum. Explorers were financed to bring back artifacts, birds, foxes, gorillas, dinosaurs bones, meteorites, fossils, bones, etc., from all over the world. The museum stores millions of items.
Part 2 is the Grand Tour and expeditions brought back fossils, teeth, skeletons, mammals, chimps ('Jennie' is based on this), insects, amphibians, reptiles, dragons, lizards, birds, nests, mummies, minerals and gems. All of the info is fascinating and some of the stories like the heist are so interesting.
This book is a wonderful look into the past and anthropology as a whole. You don't need to be a scientist to appreciate it. You can see why the author writes about these topics in his novels. Working at the museum for 6-7 years gave him an amazing foundation for his novels.
Exhibitions and collections were essential and are the foundation of the museum. Explorers were financed to bring back artifacts, birds, foxes, gorillas, dinosaurs bones, meteorites, fossils, bones, etc., from all over the world. The museum stores millions of items.
Part 2 is the Grand Tour and expeditions brought back fossils, teeth, skeletons, mammals, chimps ('Jennie' is based on this), insects, amphibians, reptiles, dragons, lizards, birds, nests, mummies, minerals and gems. All of the info is fascinating and some of the stories like the heist are so interesting.
This book is a wonderful look into the past and anthropology as a whole. You don't need to be a scientist to appreciate it. You can see why the author writes about these topics in his novels. Working at the museum for 6-7 years gave him an amazing foundation for his novels.
June 4, 2021
"Dinosaurs in the Attic" is a wonderful way to begin knowing what's housed in this awkwardly beautiful architectural maze across from Central Park at West 79th St. in NYC called the American Museum of Natural History. I smiled the whole time reading it.. Perhaps it's because I wrote my masters dissertation in the old library more than 50 years ago. I had to walk past many dinosaurs on my way there. First I always stopped to say hello to the dodo after leaving the subway. and then the infinitude of this world opened before me.
As this book points out, what a great place to visit, filled with more artifacts than one can count and a large contingent of crazy scientists to keep them company. Every time I was in this building, I got to experience a new part of this earth. It really was as wonderful a place to visit as anywhere in this world.
"Dinosaurs in the Attic" is a wonderful way to begin knowing what's housed in this awkwardly beautiful architectural mazebetween 74th St. and 79th St. across from Central Park in New York City.
As this book points out, what a great place to visit, filled with more artifacts than one can count and a large contingent of crazy scientists to keep them company. Every time I was in this building, I got to experience a new part of this earth. It really was as wonderful a place to visit as anywhere in this world.
"Dinosaurs in the Attic" is a wonderful way to begin knowing what's housed in this awkwardly beautiful architectural mazebetween 74th St. and 79th St. across from Central Park in New York City.
August 13, 2022
Loved this book. Can't wait to go back to the Museum and look at some of the artifacts he writes about. This book is not a history of the museum although it does follow the growth of the museum through time. Rather it is a song of praise for the adventurer-scientists who brought back bones, stones and bugs to the museum; to the directors who recognized the importance of artifacts not only for today's scientists but for those of the future; to the curators who cared for and catalogued the thousands upon thousands of artifacts from around the globe; and all those who made the retrieval of
everything from meteors to dinosaur bones possible.
Preston's style is easy to read and witty. Hated it to end.
everything from meteors to dinosaur bones possible.
Preston's style is easy to read and witty. Hated it to end.
June 24, 2020
"Dinosaurs in the Attic is a chronicle of the expeditions, discoveries, and scientists behind the greatest natural history collection ever assembled. Written by former Natural History columnist Douglas Preston, who worked at the American Museum of Natural History for seven years, this is a celebration of the best-known and best-loved museum in the United States."
~~back cover
Very thorough, starting with the efforts to get the Museum built at all, then going on to highlight famous scientists, incredible expeditions, and fantastic finds and their effect on scientific knowledge.
~~back cover
Very thorough, starting with the efforts to get the Museum built at all, then going on to highlight famous scientists, incredible expeditions, and fantastic finds and their effect on scientific knowledge.
June 6, 2018
I have love Douglas Preston for all of his fiction writing over the years. This was a fascinating book on the American Museum of Natural History in New York. I wish I had read this before his novel Relic, as it provides a great perspective on the size and scope of the museum, that hosted parts of several fiction books later in his life. Having sections to talk about the some of the discoverers and collectors before he talks about the major departments really helps to bring the whole place to life.
I have not been to the museum for a few years, but now I really want to get back!
I have not been to the museum for a few years, but now I really want to get back!
January 16, 2024
I was very excited to read this given how prominent a role the American Museum of Natural History has in many of Preston's novels. I wanted to see how he would treat it in a historical and documentary setting. He captures many interesting stories in this book, which I supplemented with some Googling to view pictures and further information about the artifacts and stories he recounts. This book in some ways takes away some of the mystique that Preston gives to the Museum in his novels, but simultaneously broadened my view of the museum and its rich history.
May 12, 2024
Douglas Preston worked at the American Museum of Natural History for several years in his early days. He had access to the really good stuff: all those storage rooms that the public never sees! I'm envious. The book gives the history of the building itself and the visionaries who made it a reality; tales of the explorers who procured collections in dangerous circumstances; and descriptions of many items of curiosity that are ones many a visitor might overlook. I'd love to be a visitor myself!
June 13, 2025
A very interesting read with a ton of good information. Even if you have never been to the AMNH, reading about some of the history and the collections is fascinating.
The only downside is the book was written in 1986 and it shows. In several cases, science has moved past what was then known, and social mores have as well. Modern museum issues like repatriation of artifacts and proper presentation of non-European cultures are lightly touched on, but would have much more focus in a book written today.
The only downside is the book was written in 1986 and it shows. In several cases, science has moved past what was then known, and social mores have as well. Modern museum issues like repatriation of artifacts and proper presentation of non-European cultures are lightly touched on, but would have much more focus in a book written today.
April 13, 2018
A fascinating, surprisingly fast-paced read from the author of The Lost City of the Monkey God. Much like the early hisyory of archaeology, early paleontology and natural history was one part science, one part the work of gentlemen adventurers and one part hucksterism...all which playef a part in creating one of the greatest natural history collections in the world. I was surprised at how interesting thus book really was!
December 10, 2018
I honestly didn't "finish" this book. I wanted to but I got much more interested in the second part of the book featuring the actual behind the scenes stories of the museum, that I skipped the first part only after a few chapters. And then I was selectively skimming the second part. But I do like Preston's writing. Very approachable and personable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews