Natural History Museum – The Bell Bookshop

The Voyage of the Beagle

Emma — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

First published in 1839, The Voyage of the Beagle remains a foundational text in the fields of biology, geology and anthropology, inspiring subsequent generations of scientists and scholars. Darwin’s descriptions of the diverse flora, fauna, and geological formations he encountered laid the groundwork for his revolutionary theory of evolution by natural selection.This facsimile edition has been reproduced from the 1891 edition, which was generously illustrated and includes what Darwin referred to as the definitive text. Darwin’s account is structured as a detailed travelogue, cataloguing his observations, discoveries and reflections during his travels, which encompass South America, the Galápagos Islands, Australia and beyond.

A history of dinosaurs in 50 fossils

Emma — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This is the story of the dinosaurs, uniquely retold through 50 of the most significant findings from the fossil record. Each entry is illustrated with special photography of original specimens that illustrate both the history of dinosaur discovery and key evolutionary events.
Palaeontologist Paul M. Barrett explains the importance of each fossil and how it marks a crucial inflection point in an evolutionary dynasty that ruled the Earth for more than 150 million years.
The book is divided into themed sections, beginning with dinosaur ancestors before introducing all the major dinosaur groups and moving on to the distinctive aspects of their biology such as feeding, distribution, locomotion and behaviour. The final section focuses on the first fossil birds including the legendary Archaeopteryx, the feathered dinosaur that is widely considered to be the first bird species.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Portfolio 33

Emma — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This is the most memorable and surprising collection of wildlife imagery of the year- a gallery of work by more than 70 photographers from 30 countries- all 100 pictures awarded in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. You will find beauty and drama, and will discover the stories behind the pictures- how they were created and what they reveal about the behaviour of the subjects and the nature of the unforgettable scenes.

Treasures of the Natural History Museum

Emma — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Birds

Emma — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The complete story of the development of bird art in a new miniature format, with an outstanding selection of images from the Museum's world-famous archive

In the Name of Plants

Emma — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The names of plants that are so familiar to us ?magnolia, bougainvillea, sequioa ? may just be names, but behind the names lie stories of espionage and heroism, rivalry and mystery and inspiration. In the Name of Plants relates the stories of these people and the plants that were named after them.
Each chapter tells the story of the person for which each plant is named, many of whom were pioneering explorers, collectors and botanists – such as Alice Eastwood who has the yellow aster, Eastwoodia elegans, named after her. Eastwood explored previously uncharted territories in the 19th century and famously saved the California Academy of Science’s priceless plant collection from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Subjects range from Charles Darwin (Darwinia) and legendary French botanist Pierre Magnol (Magnolia), to US founding fathers George Washington (Washingtonia) and Benjamin Franklin (Franklinia).
Each entry is accompanied by superb artworks from the Library of the Natural History Museum, as well as photography of specimens and wild plants and the essential taxonomic details and geographic spread for each species.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Portfolio 32

Emma — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

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.

THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM BOOK OF GEMS

Emma — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A comprehensive introduction to gemstones with stunning colour photographs, written by Natural History Museum curator Robin Hansen.

The Girl Who Really, Really, Really Loves Nature

Emma — Fri, 07 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Lara loves nature. In fact she’s nuts about nature. What she loves best is exploring her back garden with her dog Cassie. They discover all sorts of exciting things like birds’ nests, caterpillars, worms and snails. But, what she really, really, really wants to learn more about are the mysterious blobs of jelly in the pond? A charming picture book for all young children who love the outdoors.