Yikes! Still Life and it's stuffed
I chose this book because I knew nothing about it's subject matter except for the fact I never enjoyed the final product staring at me. Now that I have read the book I know a lot about the subject matter but feel no less of an aversion. However, this book is well written, well researched and I commend the author on her exacting work. No matter if you're fan or foe you will end up angry at taxidermy and what happened at the Smithsonian, as a man is allowed to "buy" his way to trophies. You will marvel at the extent some will go to be the best or even the most creative. Some start with road kill. What's funny is most practitioners will not "recreate" pets. Others go back to the Audubon method: he killed them, to stuff them, to draw them. If you can get past the "chill factor" this is an interesting look at life after death. By the end even the author gets into the act.
Rated of 5
by Fred S. (san diego, CA)
still life
I thought it was a great book. It brought back my own memories of the sights and smells of the shop which I hung out in when a boy.
Rated of 5
by Sharon W. (Two Rivers, WI)
Still Life
This was a very interesting book and a learning experience. The book was about Taxidermy. I knew what taxidermy was but never realized how much went in to it. This is an art. The people involved in taxidermy take it very serious. They even have contests.
If you are up for a learning experience, I would definitely recommend this book.
Rated of 5
by Sande O. (Rochester, NY)
Riveting Read
I have always found taxidermy fascinating. A little strange perhaps, but interesting. I spent 8 years in grad school at the University of Wyoming so I get the "trophy" aspect of "stuffing" animals, and I remember the museum dioramas from childhood and I've read about Victorian's fascination with personal collections is species. That being said, what motivates modern day taxidermists? Are there many left? Are they all like Norman Bates from Psycho?
Armed with these questions and a healthy curiosity, I was drawn to Melissa Milgrom's book on the subject. What I got were a lot of answers, but much more. The author covers the gamut of these artists/technicians and along the way gives the reader insight into the field, the science, the history, the eccentricities and the politics that make up this field. There is a lot more to preserving animals than one might suppose and Milgrom takes the time to become a participant in the process as well as an observer. If you like to venture outside your comfort zone once in while, give this a try. Altogether Still Life is a riveting read.
Rated of 5
by Portia A. (Mount Laurel, NJ)
Taxidermy Made Interesting
Melissa Milgrom did it ... she actually made the subject of her book very interesting. Although at times the book seemed to read like like an extended magazine article, taxidermy was much more complex in its history and use than I would have imagined. I learned things I didn't know and enjoyed the change of pace from the things I usually read.
Rated of 5
by Anne B. (Fredonia, WI)
If you like the strange...
If you think the title is odd, wait until you meet the characters of this off-hand, fascinating read. Stuffed animal lovers, lovers of the creepy, odd and whatever is opposite of the chick-book, read this, really. It will take you into another world you really never planned on going to, but will glad once you've arrived.
Rated of 5
by Susan S. (Lakeville, MA)
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would.
The book is about taxidermy and I requested it to review out of morbid curiosity. My opinions of taxidermists have not been favorable, but this book changed my mind. I now believe that they are both scientists and artists. The book is well written, well organized and entertaining. It is not overly technical and while always very respectful of the profession, it is often humorous. If you have every visited a natural history museum (especially the American Museum of Natural History in New York City) you will enjoy reading about how the dioramas in these museums are created and the amount of skill that is required to create them. My impression of the book can be summed up by the author's own words when she was attending a taxidermy trade show and she watched a demonstration "amazed and bewildered." Me, too.
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of 5
by Penny N. (Saginaw, MI)
of 5
by Portia A. (Mount Laurel, NJ)
