The Smithsonian: 150 Years of Adventure, Discovery, and Wonder [Hardcover]

James Conaway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 24, 1995

488 illustrations in text

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

It is still somewhat of a mystery why James Smithson, an English scientist, stipulated in his 1826 will that $500,000 was to be given to America, a country he had never visited, to be used for a building to function "in the increase and diffusion of knowledge." The Smithsonian is still following this mission. The combined museum now includes the National Air and Space Museum, National Zoological Park, National Museum of Natural History, the Hirshorn Collection, and the Museum of the American Indian (opening in 2001). Generally referred to as the "Nation's Attic," the Smithsonian boasts over 140 million artifacts, from the "Spirit of St. Louis" to Fort McHenry's flag to moon rocks. Conaway (Napa, LJ 9/15/90), who started out as a weekend visitor to the museums, offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of America's most visited sites. This lavishly illustrated work is published in conjunction with the Smithsonian's sesquicentennial. Highly recommended.?Joseph Hewgley, Nashville P.L.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

A gala celebration of all that stuff in America's attic, which, in the Smithsonian's omnidirectional collection philosophy, includes Lincoln's hat and lunch boxes, Allosaurus, and Kermit the Frog. A fervent admirer of the institution, Conaway backstops the 400 photos with a narrative of the place's beginning in James Smithson's bequest "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Constant redefining of that mission, first evident as officials wrangled over whether to build a library, a museum, or a laboratory, has built up the eclectic collections and activities of the Smithsonian ever since the Castle was built a century and a half ago. Consequently, the photo subjects so shift around to various enthusiasms--paleontology, political paraphernalia, industrial technologies--that viewing this album is akin to leafing through a year's worth of Smithsonian magazines. There's something for everyone, as a circus impresario might say, but the Smithsonian is in more than just the entertainment business: sidebars relate its scientific expeditions over the years, while profiles of notable directors and staffers add a human touch to this diverse, glossy tribute to D.C.'s most popular attraction. Gilbert Taylor

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (October 24, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679441751
• ISBN-13: 978-0679441755
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,233,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James (Jim) Conaway grew up in Memphis but lived in Europe for several years before moving to Washington, D.C. A former Wallace Stegner fellow at Stanford University, he's the author of two novels and nine books of non-fiction, the most recent being "Vanishing America: In Pursuit of Our Elusive Landscapes", described by writer Tracy Kidder as "an enthralling, lovely tribute to a lot of what is precious in America."
His previous book, "The Far Side of Eden", was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year in 2002 and a sequel to his best-selling "Napa: The Story of an American Eden", described in the New York Times Book Review as "an important story, emblematic of our time."
His other books include the memoir, "Memphis Afternoons", and "The Kingdom in the Country", a personal journey in a van through the public lands of the American West and described by Stegner as "a very lively book... He got into places and activities that most westerners never even get close to." Author Jim Harrison called it "a wonderful, well-considered evocation of the New West."
Jim's first novel, "The Big Easy", is based on his experiences as a police reporter in New Orleans; his second novel, "World's End", is a Louisiana coastal saga ofr politics and crime described as "a combination of All the King's Men" and "The Godfather." He has just completed a new novel set in California.
Jim has written for many magazines, including The New York Times Magazine, Atlantic, Harper's, The New Republic, Gourmet, Smithsonian, and National Geographic Traveler. He divides his time between piedmont Virginia and Washington.