"To open the pages of this magnificently illustrated book is to enter the magical world of natural history. And it is to be guided among all the myriad marvels of the earth by an eloquent commentator, backed by the prodigious resources of a great institution--the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History." The book gives the reader a broad and illuminating overview of the natural sciences as they are practiced today.". Includes 324 full color plates with 345 total illustrations Magnificent full-page color photos of the wonderful exhibits of the Museum of Natural History. Minerals, shells, native Americans, fossils, murals. 495 pgs. Photographs by Kjell Sandved and Chip Clark , in association with the Smithsonian institution. To open the pages of this magnificently illustrated book is to enter the magical world of natural history. And it is a guided among all the myriad marvels of the earth by an eloquent commentator, backed by the prodigious resources of a great institution - the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.