Polly Parry

The 26-metre-long Diplodocus skeleton that dominates the Central Hall of the Natural History Museum in London is one of the world's most famous dinosaur models. Known affectionately as 'Dippy', it has fascinated and enthralled visitors since it was first revealed to an astonished public in 1905. Dippy's tale begins some 150 million years ago in the late part of the Jurassic period - the time from which the original fossil dates. Dippy is an exact plaster replica of the fossilized bones found in the badlands of Wyoming, USA. The story of how Dippy came to the Museum is one that involves danger and adventure in the harsh environment of the American Wild West, the generosity of an eccentric millionaire and the involvement of the British royal family. The book combines an engaging narrative with details of dinosaur discoveries and the latest research on Diplodocus anatomy and behaviour. It also reveals the emergence of Dippy's importance to scientists, as studies on Diplodocus kick-started a renaissance in the understanding of the biology of the group it belongs to, the sauropods. Featuring delightful artworks and photographs throughout, this is both an engaging tale of discovery and a guide to one of the longest land animals ever to walk the Earth.

Visit the Natural History Museum - 100 years ago. Featuring a wealth of stunning black-and-white photographs from the Museum's archives, this book offers a real flavour of life at one of London's oldest and most famous visitor attractions, from Victorian times until just after the Second World War. The photographs go back as far as the 1880s, to the earliest years of the Museum, when only a few horsedrawn carriages plied the streets of South Kensington and elephants and gorillas from distant parts of the British Empire were exhibited for the first time. In later years the Museum gardens were to be dug over for vegetable production during the Second World War and whale carcasses were buried in the grounds to allow the flesh to rot away. The book focuses on the unusual events that have taken place over the years, the characters working at and visiting the Museum, and of course the awe-inspiring specimens. Ranging from the amazing to the amusing, the images are evocative and brimming with period detail. The authors are senior archivists and well placed to share their knowledge of the stories that lie behind the silver-nitrate surface of the old photographic prints.