Mr. Wilson's Cabinet Of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Techno logy

With the Museum of Jurassic Technology right down the street from me, I had to read this book. Fascinating!

I thought it was fiction! Now I don't know! That's the whole point of the book!

Intriguing at first, but really tough to follow. I don't know if that Mr. Wilson character will grow on some readers but I feel like breaking a bottle over his head. His so-called "Museum of Jurassic Technology" is a mockery of everything I believe in and am passionate about.

I wasn't completely sure what to expect when I began reading this book. I also don't normally read non-fiction. So perhaps not the most auspicious of beginnings. However, it is a charming curiousity of a text. I loved the way exhibits were described and I was left to wonder at whether the 'facts' were real or not. Some of the information is later established as ficticious, some proven true. But,...more

I wasn't completely sure what to expect when I began reading this book. I also don't normally read non-fiction. So perhaps not the most auspicious of beginnings. However, it is a charming curiousity of a text. I loved the way exhibits were described and I was left to wonder at whether the 'facts' were real or not. Some of the information is later established as ficticious, some proven true. But, enticingly, some details are left unchecked. Like the author I don't really want to know... And the Museum reminds me of a wonderful performance art/installation art piece that I visited in London. If you're ever in the vicinity of Spitalfields, do go to the Dennis Severs house (http://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk). It's an unmissable experience.   hide

Read it AFTER I went to the Museum of Jurassic Technology in LA/Culver City. Awesome!

An entertaining and thought-provoking book about the nature and purpose of museums and their predecessors: the "cabinets of curiosities."

I had to read this book for a comp class at UofM. I hated the book at first and had to start the book over a few times. However once you get passed the descriptions of the museum, the book takes a turn and you start to understand why Wilson designed the museum to resemble the cabinets of wonder. An awesome message to the recent generation of museums and how they all started. Def. a recommended...more

I had to read this book for a comp class at UofM. I hated the book at first and had to start the book over a few times. However once you get passed the descriptions of the museum, the book takes a turn and you start to understand why Wilson designed the museum to resemble the cabinets of wonder. An awesome message to the recent generation of museums and how they all started. Def. a recommended read =]   hide

A well-written book about a interesting man, a fascinating museum, and a unique past time. Many of the reviews I read compared this book to the writings of Borges, but I find it to be too crammed with information to truly resemble Borges. The subject matter and tone of the work are Borgesian, but Weschler has a frustrating tendency to cram too much information into too few pages.

I am uneasy with Wilson's flagrant invention of history and the blending of fact and fiction in his museum. I certainly understand the perspective that this book has taken, but I am not sure how sympathetic I am to its views. In all fainess, this is an extremely thought-provoking book, which most definitely expanded my concept of museums and their relationship to "wonder." ...more

I am uneasy with Wilson's flagrant invention of history and the blending of fact and fiction in his museum. I certainly understand the perspective that this book has taken, but I am not sure how sympathetic I am to its views. In all fainess, this is an extremely thought-provoking book, which most definitely expanded my concept of museums and their relationship to "wonder." Cabinets of curiousities provide a poignant example of the relationship between the sense of wonder and the desire to possess or dominate.......It's interesting that a sense of wonder is often immediately followed by the desire to possess or dominate the wonder-inspiring object.   hide