I had to make a trip downtown to the Bishop Museum to pick up a book for Mom today. Titled Holophusicon The Leverian Museum, it’s the story of

the world’s first popular museum of science, curiosity and art — going back to 1771. Its contents included the largest collection of Cook-voyage specimens and objects ever exhibited in one place, in addition to sculptured heads from the Cave of Elephanta in India, Oliver Cromwell’s armor, the Turkish clothing and guns of Edward Wortly Montague, birds, fossils, and minerals.

It’s written by Adrienne Kaeppler, who is Curator of Oceanic Ethnology at the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. She worked as an anthropologist here at Bishop Museum with Mom for a number of years.

The book itself is gorgeous. There are nearly 1,000 color photographs and watercolors of the specimens the Leverian Museum had before its collection was sold off at auction in 1806.

Having run that errand, I went on down to the now-nearest-to-me new book store at Ala Moana Center, Barnes and Noble, to pick up a gift for an upcoming birthday. It’s a huge store, even bigger than the Borders that was at the bottom of my hill. If only B&N had decided to pick up the lease on that space I’d be a happy reader. As it is, it’s now a 30-mile round trip to shop for new books. Rats.