Amazing Rare Things: The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery
David Attenborough
Susan Owens, Martin Clayton, and Rea Alexandratos

Published in association with The Royal Collection

A gorgeously illustrated volume devoted to the natural history drawings and watercolors of Leonardo da Vinci and other outstanding artists of the Age of Discovery

From the fifteenth century onwards, as European explorers sailed forth on grand voyages of discovery, their encounters with exotic plants and animals fanned intense scientific interest. Scholars began to examine nature with fresh eyes, and pioneering artists transformed the way nature was seen and understood. In Amazing Rare Things, renowned naturalist and documentary-maker Sir David Attenborough joins with expert colleagues to explore how artists chose to portray the natural world during this era of burgeoning scientific interest.

The book focuses on an exquisite selection of natural history drawings and watercolors by Leonardo da Vinci, Alexander Marshal, Maria Sibylla Merian, and Mark Catesby and from the collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. These works—all held in The Royal Library at Windsor Castle—reflect each artist’s extraordinary engagement with the natural world. Sir David Attenborough and his coauthors offer lucid and thought-provoking commentary on such topics as:

•  The history of the human desire to illustrate the natural world,     beginning 30,000 years ago
•  Leonardo’s fascination with natural processes and the overarching laws     of nature
•  Dal Pozzo’s encyclopedic "Paper Museum" of the natural world and the     significance of his empirical investigations
•  Marshal’s landmark illustrations of rare plants and flowers that were     newly imported from the Near East and the New World and grown in     English gardens
•  Merian’s pioneering depictions of the life cycles of insects in the Dutch     colony of Surinam in South America
•  Catesby’s comprehensive life’s work, two volumes that introduced     Europe to the plants and animals of North America

With 160 full color illustrations, this beautiful book will be a valuable addition to the libraries of readers whose interests range from Renaissance art and artists to natural history to the history of science in the Age of Discovery.

Book Page
“Amazing Rare Things is a rich testament.... Artworks are elegantly interspersed throughout the text and comprise a wonder of visual delights.... In today’s world, imperiled as it is with threats of global warming and loss of various species, this stunningly beautiful book is a masterful tribute—and a wakeup call.”

Seed Magazine
“From meticulously rendered flowers to surreal reptilian portraits, 160 full-color illustrations capture a profound curiosity about the natural world.”

Charleston Post and Courier
“At first, second and third look, sheer fascination will keep you turning pages to see the painting of the next wondrous plant or animal and find out what they are. Even the more mundane subjects are so lovely that a lot of people probably are going to be tempted to cut the plates out and frame them.”

Margaret D. Lowman, author of It’s a Jungle Up There and Life in the Treetops
“Amazing Rare Things is a welcome and long overdue integration of art and science.”

More About the Authors

SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH’s distinguished career in broadcasting spans more than fifty years. A pioneer of the nature documentary, he has written and presented nine major television series on virtually every aspect of life on Earth, including most recently Planet Earth. He was knighted in 1985, was created a member of the Order of Merit in 2005, and has received many other awards and honorary degrees.

SUSAN OWENS is assistant curator of the Print Room at Windsor Castle. She curated the recent exhibit Watercolours and Drawings from the Collection of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

MARTIN CLAYTON is deputy curator of the Print Room at Windsor Castle. He has published extensively on Renaissance art.

REA ALEXANDRATOS is coordinator of the Dal Pozzo Catalogue Project.