Title: A Smithsonian Devotee's Feast
Review: September 28, 2004This book presents a historical, worldwide perspective of many of the international aspects of the Smithsonian's origin and evolving activities. Written by a Smithsonian acolyte who is both a longtime Smithsonian aficionado (as am I) and a practicing journalist, the individual chapters, which describe many of the institution's activities and exhibits, are supplemented with relevant and often revealing quotations, historical anecdotes and well documented photographs.The subject matter, which could be considered as a bit "dry" to present, is handled in a manner that will certainly be both entertaining and enlightening to many of the Smithsonian's 25 million annual visitors. My only reservation relates to the author's rather "singular" description of the Smithsonian's role in the distribution of early scientific papers, as though there were no other distribution channels available in the 1800's.
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