Wonder cabinets

Some books are radically different from the norm. This is one we doubt will be on the Kindle any time soon. 'Only thirty copies of the book exist and, in the spirit of the Renaissance wonder cabinet, no two are exactly alike. For those of you unfamiliar with what a wonder cabinet is: aristocrats, philosophers, scientists, and artists used them to display their eclectic collections of natural and man-made objects, everything from Roman terracotta lamps to conjoined livers of Siamese twins. Every copy of Hodgson and Cohen’s book, which includes essays and images, comes inside an inlaid wooden box with its own distinct items, such as a cast of a Russian countess’s finger, a porcupine quill, a sea urchin’s skeleton, and Roman coins from Syria.' More...