Nature’s Memory | Behind the Scenes at the World’s Natural History Museums

This is an in-person event only. There is no live stream.

(The talk will be followed by a book sale/signing and drinks reception in our historic library, where a paid bar will be available.)

Join Jack Ashby, Assistant Director of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, for a talk on his new book Nature’s Memory: Behind the Scenes at the World’s Natural History Museums.

Far less than 1% of all collections are on display in the world’s natural history museums, and they consistently top the polls for the most popular tourist attractions. Yet we don’t often stop to think about what they tell us about our world, how crucial they might yet be to saving life on Earth, or their role in honestly reframing social histories. What is the science is being done behind the scenes? What is chosen for display and why? Who collected it, and how? What has been left out? Can they tell us new stories for the 21st century?

Nature’s Memory is the first book to explore both the scientific and social relevance of the world’s natural history museums while offering an illuminating insider’s guide to visiting them.

Award-winning author and zoologist Jack Ashby is the assistant director of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, an honorary research fellow in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at University College London, a longstanding trustee of the Natural Sciences Collections Association, and the president of the Society for the History of Natural History. His zoological focus is the mammals of Australia, but his work more broadly explores the biases influencing how nature is presented, particularly through museums.

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Concessions

Please buy the concession ticket if you are:

• 65 years of age, or over
• Under 26 years of age
• Currently in receipt of UK government benefit (including, but not limited to, Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Housing Benefit, and Universal Credit).
• Currently in full-time education.

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This is an in-person event at the Linnean Society of London on Piccadilly, London, only. There will be a recording, which will be uploaded to our later.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Linnean Society of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom