Jack Ashby: Nature’s Memory – Behind the Scenes at the World’s Natural History Museums

Natural history museums are magical places that inspire awe and wonder and help us understand our place within the animal kingdom. Zoologist Jack Ashby shares hidden stories behind the world’s iconic natural history museums where over 99 percent of museum collections are held in vast storerooms. He takes us behind the scenes at international natural history collections and tells of the biases influencing how nature is presented in museums and also their colonial legacies. What do these collections tell us about our world today  and how crucial might they be to saving life on earth in their fight against future climate catastrophe and biodiversity loss?

The Guardian tipped zoologist Jack Ashby’s new book Natures Memory to be “one of the biggest books of 2025”.

Nature’s Memory: Behind the Scenes at the World’s Natural History Museums (Allen Lane)  (published 25 April)

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Photo credit Jason Bye