Finding the best cabinets of curiosities suitable for your needs isnt easy. With hundreds of choices can distract you. Knowing whats bad and whats good can be something of a minefield. In this article, weve done the hard work for you.
Reviews
1. The Incredible Cabinet of Wonders (Lonely Planet Kids)
Description
It's time to peek inside the world's most famous museums.
Welcome to Lonely Planet Kids' Incredible Cabinet of Wonders - the greatest little museum in the world! 12 collectors, from toy makers and monster hunters, to sailors and archaeologists, have created their own themed cabinets and filled them with their favorite things.
Kids can lift the flaps and open the cabinet doors to discover 100 extraordinary objects from our planet's weird and wonderful past and present, then read fascinating stories behind each one and find out where to see them in real life.
What objects will they find? And what stories will they tell?
The 12 themed collections are:
- Toy Maker's Cabinet
- Sailor's Cabinet
- Monster Hunter's Cabinet
- Naturalist's Cabinet
- Miniaturist's Cabinet
- Doctor's Cabinet
- Treasure Hunter's Cabinet
- Archaeologist's Cabinet
- Costume Maker's Cabinet
- Musician's Cabinet
- Scientist's Cabinet
- Make Believer's Cabinet
Each cabinet is illustrated by a different artist and features photos of every astonishing and unusual artifact.
About Lonely Planet Kids: Come explore! Let's start an adventure. Lonely Planet Kids excites and educates children about the amazing world around them. Combining astonishing facts, quirky humor and eye-catching imagery, we ignite their curiosity and encourage them to discover more about our planet. Every book draws on our huge team of global experts to help share our continual fascination with what makes the world such a diverse and magnificent place-inspiring children at home and in school.
2. Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities XL (Jumbo)
Feature
Used Book in Good ConditionDescription
Albertus Sebas curious creaturesA most unusual collection of natural specimens
Albertus Sebas Cabinet of Curiosities is one of the 18th centurys greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time.
Though it was common for men of his profession to collect natural specimens for research purposes, Amsterdam-based pharmacist Albertus Seba (16651736) had a passion that led him far beyond the call of duty. His amazing, unprecedented collection of animals, plants and insects from all around the world gained international fame during his lifetime. In 1731, after decades of collecting, Seba commissioned illustrations of each and every specimen and arranged the publication of a four-volume catalog detailing his entire collection-from strange and exotic plants to snakes, frogs, crocodiles, shellfish, corals, insects, butterflies and more, as well as fantastic beasts, such as a hydra and a dragon.
Sebas scenic illustrations, often mixing plants and animals in a single plate, were unusual even for the time. Many of the stranger and more peculiar creatures from Sebas collection, some of which are now extinct, were as curious to those in Sebas day as they are to us now.
Our superb, complete reproduction is taken from a rare, hand-colored original. The introduction offers background information about the fascinating tradition of the cabinet of curiosities to which Sebas curiosities belonged and an additional annex, written by contemporary biologists, provides descriptions of the specimens.
3. Guillermo del Toro Cabinet of Curiosities: My Notebooks, Collections, and Other Obsessions
Feature
Guillermo del Toro Cabinet of Curiosities My Notebooks Collections and Other ObsessionsDescription
Over the last two decades, writer-director Guillermo del Toro has mapped out a territory in the popular imagination that is uniquely his own, astonishing audiences with Cronos, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, and a host of other films and creative endeavors. Now, for the first time, del Toro reveals the inspirations behind his signature artistic motifs, sharing the contents of his personal notebooks, collections, and other obsessions. The result is a startling, intimate glimpse into the life and mind of one of the world's most creative visionaries. Complete with running commentary, interview text, and annotations that contextualize the ample visual material, this deluxe compendium is every bit as inspired as del Toro is himself.
Contains a foreword by James Cameron, an afterword by Tom Cruise, and contributions from other luminaries, including Neil Gaiman and John Landis, among others.
4. Seba: Cabinet of Natural Curiosities
Feature
Seba Cabinet of Natural CuriositiesDescription
Spectacular specimens: Albertus Seba's unrivaled catalog of animals, insects and plants
In 1731, after decades of collecting, Seba commissioned careful and often scenic illustrations of every specimen. With these meticulous drawings, he arranged for the publication of a four-volume catalog, covering the entire collection from strange and exotic plants to snakes, frogs, crocodiles, shellfish, corals, birds, and butterflies, as well as now extinct creatures.
This reproduction is taken from a rare, hand-colored original. The introduction supplies background information about the fascinating tradition of natural collections to which Sebas curiosities belonged.
5. The Cabinet of Curiosities (Agent Pendergast series)
Description
The Cabinet of Curiosities6. Cabinet of Curiosities: Collecting and Understanding the Wonders of the Natural World
Feature
Book for learning about, building, and categorizing a cabinet of curiosities.Encourages an interest in science and discovery, an appreciation for nature.
Discover the best way to explore the wonders of the natural world!
Learn what you can use as a cabinet - even learn how to build your own cabinet.
Learn how to categorize the things you find - learn about subcategories of the animal kingdom, plant kingdom, minerals.
Description
Nature writer Gordon Grice, who started his first cabinet of curiosities at age six when he found a skunks skull, explains how scientists classify all living things through the Linnaeus system; how to tell real gold from fools gold; how to preserve butterflies, crab shells, feathers, a robins egg, spider specimens, and honeycombs; how to identify seashells; the difference between antlers and horns; how to read animal tracks. And then, what to do with your specimens, including how to build a cabinet of curiosities out of common household objects, like a desk organizer or a box for fishing tackle.
7. Cabinets of Curiosities
Feature
W W Norton Co IncDescription
"Bound to entertain anyone who is intellectually curious, and serve as a source of inspiration for interior decorators and contemporary artists."Antiques and the Arts
Unicorns horns, mermaids skeletons, stuffed and preserved animals and plants, work in precious metals, clocks, scientific instruments, celestial globes . . . all knowledge, the whole cosmos arranged on shelves. Such were the cabinets of curiosities of the seventeenth century, the last period of history when man could aspire to know everything.Who were the collectors? They were archdukes and kingsthe Emperor Rudolf II was the prince of all collectorsrich merchants and scholars, and their collections ranged from a single crowded room to whole palatial suites. Patrick Maurie`s traces the amazing history of these rooms of wonders in this ingeniously erudite survey. Not many of the rooms survive, though there are pictorial records, but their contents still exist and are among the treasures of museums all over the world. 139 full-color and 133 black-and-white illustrations
8. The Cabinet of Curiosities: 36 Tales Brief & Sinister
Feature
The Cabinet of Curiosities: 36 Tales Brief & SinisterDescription
A collection of thirty-six forty eerie, mysterious, intriguing, and very short stories by the acclaimed authors Stefan Bachmann, Katherine Catmull, Claire LeGrand, and Emma Trevayne. The Cabinet of Curiosities is perfect for fans of Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and anyone who relishes a good creepy tale. Great for reading alone or reading aloud at camp or school!
The book features an introduction and commentary by the authors and black-and-white illustrations throughout.
9. A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities: Strange Tales and Surprising Facts from History's Most Orthodox Empire
Description
Weird, decadent, degenerate, racially mixed, superstitious, theocratic, effeminate, and even hyper-literate, Byzantium has long been regarded by many as one big curiosity. According to Voltaire, it represented "a worthless collection of miracles, a disgrace for the human mind"; for Hegel, it was "a disgusting picture of imbecility."A Cabinet of Byzantine Curiosities will churn up these old prejudices, while also stimulating a deeper interest among readers in one of history's most interesting civilizations. Many of the zanier tales and trivia that are collected here revolve around the political and religious life of Byzantium. Thus, stories of saints, relics, and their miracles-from the hilarious to the revolting-abound. Byzantine bureaucracy (whence the adjective "Byzantine"), court scandals, and elaborate penal code are world famous. And what would Byzantium be without its eunuchs, whose ambiguous gender produced odd and risible outcomes in different contexts? The book also contains sections on daily life that are equally eye-opening, including food (from aphrodisiacs to fermented fish sauce), games such as polo and acrobatics, and obnoxious views of foreigners and others (e.g., Germans, Catholics, Arabs, dwarves). But lest we overlook Byzantium's more honorable contributions to civilization, also included are some of the marvels of Byzantine science and technology, from the military (flamethrowers and hand grenades) to the theatrical ("elevator" thrones, roaring mechanical lions) and medical (catheters and cures, some bizarre). This vast assortment of historical anomaly and absurdity sheds vital light on one of history's most obscure and orthodox empires.
10. A Cabinet of Ancient Medical Curiosities: Strange Tales and Surprising Facts from the Healing Arts of Greece and Rome
Feature
A Cabinet of Ancient Medical Curiosities Strange Tales and Surprising Facts from the Healing Arts of Greece and RomeDescription
There are few disciplines as exciting and forward-looking as medicine. Unfortunately, however, many modern practitioners have lost sight of the origins of their discipline. A Cabinet of Ancient Medical Curiosities aspires to cure this lapse by taking readers back to the early days of Western medicine in ancient Greece and Rome. Quoting the actual words of ancient authors, often from texts which have never before been translated into English, J. C. McKeown offers a fascinating glimpse at the origins of surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, pharmacology, diet and nutrition, and many other fields of medicine.This book features hundreds of passages from Greek and Roman authors, with gentle guidance from McKeown, giving a vividly direct picture of the ancient medical world, a world in which, for example, a surgeon had to be strong-minded enough to ignore the screams of his patient, diseases were assumed to be sent by the gods, medicine and magic were often indistinguishable, and no qualifications were required before setting oneself up as a doctor. On the other hand, McKeown reveals that some ancient medical attitudes were also surprisingly similar to our own. Beyond the practice of medicine, McKeown highlights ancient views on familiar topics, such as medical ethics and the role of the doctor in society. A fascinating exploration of the bizarre - and sometimes grotesque - medical beliefs of the past, A Cabinet of Ancient Medical Curiosities will delight anyone with an interest in the history of medicine or the ancient world.
11. Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet: A Novel
Description
"It's a rare novel that manages to combine humor, tragedy, powerful friendships, outcasts, insiders, detached satire, and deeply felt emotion all in one, but HP Wood's Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet manages to pull off the trick just don't ask how it's performed! "Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Daughter
A hypnotic novel in turn-of-the-century Coney Island, where an abandoned girl collides with a disgruntled mnage of circus freaks.
Kitty Hayward and her mother are ready to experience the spectacles of Coney Island's newest attraction, the Dreamland amusement park. But when Kitty's mother vanishes from their hotel, she finds herself penniless, alone, and far from her native England. The last people she expects to help are the cast of characters at Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet, a museum of oddities. From con men to strongmen, from flea wranglers to lion tamers, Kitty's new friends quickly adopt her and vow to help find the missing Mrs. Hayward. But even these unusual inhabitants may not be a match for the insidious sickness that begins to spread through Coney Island...or the panic that turns Dreamland into a nightmare.
With shades of Water For Elephants and The Museum of Extraordinary Things, Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet sweeps readers into a mesmerizing world where nothing is as it seems, and where "normal" is the exception to the rule.
12. The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words
13. A Parisian Cabinet of Curiosities: Deyrolle
Description
This handsome gift volume celebrates a world-famous temple to taxidermy and the natural world, where extraordinary curiosities highlight the intersection of science and art.With an abundance of preserved flora and fauna, taxidermy, and otherworldly creations, the Deyrolle boutique is dedicated to showcasing the beauty of nature. A family venture founded in the spirit of discovery, Deyrolle has a 185-year history that is a Pandoras box of scientific and aesthetic discoveries. Deyrolle flourished under the nineteenth-century passion for natural history, garnering celebrity devotees from Dal to Nabokov, and quickly established itself as a center for education and research.A vocal advocate of sustainability and responsible business practices in the fields of taxidermy and entomology, Deyrolle works only with creatures that have expired from natural causes. Raising awareness for causes such as World Rhino Day, Deyrolle combines science and art, lightheartedness and engagement. This book provides fascinating insight into the history and day-to-day workings of this unique Parisian institution.
