Compact history, visual and written ( )

There are some museums that you want to visit again and again, either because of their spectacular displays or because of the vast knowledge they contain. The Smithsonian museums are among that list because of those things and more. They are some of the most visited, most internationally known buildings, but so many people go through the doors without knowing the amazing story behind how those doors came to open for them. I was among those numbers until I read this book.

James Conaway opened my eyes to more than just the contents of the collections that I had seen as a child. This book takes you back in time to when the idea of the Smithsonian began with a simple donation from James Smithson and continues into the present day. Through this book we can relive what the United States did with the money that funded "the increase and diffusion of knowledge", which is simply spectacular. We could have created just another simple building with just another collection of specimens or pile of stones, but instead, we have the Smithsonian Institution.

Like a perfectly designed display, this book combines text and stunning photography to guide readers through history and draw them in as if they were living it. Don't be afraid to share this history with your children. Even the youngest will enjoy living through the images they see, even if they can't read the full text of the book. If you can't tour the museums, this is the next best thing, and if you can go, read this book before you enter. It will enhance your experience one hundred percent. For my part, I can say that it made me plan another trip to Washington for the single purpose of seeing every building under the name Smithsonian. ( )

The "incomparable galaxy of museums" known as the Smithsonian
Institution is the legacy of an illigitimate son, to an America he never
saw. James Smithson bequeathed 100,000 pounds to the United States
government to found "an Establishment for the increase and diffiusion
of knowledge". It is now a lamp to the world, with 24 million visitors
annually, and 140 million objects. (1995!)

The author, a writer-scholar, seems to emphasize the colorful
"off-beat" characters whose endeavors have made the collection what it
is today. ( )