Lukas Rieppel

I found this deep dive into the relationship between philanthropy and the great natural history museums to be quite interesting, but it's probably going to be more relevant to those interested in the sociology of the "Long Gilded Age" than those just interested in dinosaurs. Though it is interesting to see how the museums tried to achieve a balance between uplifting education, expanding knowledge, and engaging in a bit of showmanship. Rieppel does occasionally go off the tracks, as when he veers into a discussion of what the scientific theory of the early 20th century had to say to people concerned about gender roles, eugenics, and the like. The end chapter might be called a dive into how some things don't change, as it deals with how the Chinese are now trying to make social capital in paleozoology, as they are arguably the leaders in finding new and relevant fossils.… (more)