Brian Gill

Like his previous collection, accounts of interesting events from his career as a museum curator. Told in a slightly stuffy, genteel way that matches the personality of the author. Particularly struck a chord with me as a fellow museum curator facing the same challenges he did when starting with the Auckland Museum's shambolic collection 30 years ago. Marred a little by an attack on postmodernism and relativism at the very end, an unfortunate habit of retired scientists. But still recommended.

A series of short pieces which illuminate the day to day life of a natural history curator quite well. Comparable in breadth to Richard Fortey's Dry Store Room No. 1, Gill covers taxonomy, taxidermy, dioramas, and the importance of museum collections for tracking invasive species, answering public enquiries, and even identifying the mystery bone in dodgy takeaways. The style is fairly dry and pedestrian, but it's an interesting read.