"Some treasures are too precious to display" -- cover

A Gutenberg Bible on vellum -- Harrison Schimtt's space suit -- Three pieces of Mars -- A piece of Newton's apple tree -- The first cultivated pearls -- Lamourouxia viscosa, seed from Mexico -- Things beneath floorboards -- A bejewelled cross -- A Haida shaman's rattle -- Francis Crick's sketch of DNA -- Tablet K.143, school of exercise book of Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria -- Vladimir Nabokov's butterfly genitalia cabinet -- Charles Dickens's feline letter opener -- The heart token -- Item RDMSC RD 1/1/1 -- Auguste Piccard's balloon gondola -- Jason Junior -- Underwater painting by Zarh Pritchard -- Anglerfish couple -- The first giraffe in France -- A great auk egg -- A glass jellyfish -- The interior of Vasa -- Flag from the Battle of Trafalgar -- A blue whale -- Logbook of the Kon-Tiki expedition -- Wally Herbert's sledge -- Song 21 -- Exu boca de fogo -- Livingstone and Stanley's hats -- Hawai'ian feather helmet

"A unique treasure trove of the most intriguing artifacts hidden away in museum archives from all over the world, curated, brought to light and to life by Molly Oldfield in a beautifully illustrated collection"--Provided by publisher

Includes index

Originally published: London : Collins, 2013