Inside In: X-Rays of Nature's Hidden World by Jan Paul Schutten. Photography by Arie van 't Riet. Translated by Laura Watkinson. 128 p. Greystone Kids/ Greystone Books, October, 2021. 9781771646796. (Review of finished purchased copy.)
Fact Friday features Inside In: X-Rays of Nature's Hidden World by Jan Paul Schutten and photographed by Arie van 't Riet. Mr. van 't Riet is a medical physicist and teacher of the subject in Amsterdam. He was able to obtain an x-ray machine and began x-raying dead animals and insects. He chose dead animals for two main reasons, the most important being that prolonged exposure to x-rays is dangerous. The second reason being that, in order to obtain a clear x-ray, the subject must remain very still.
The author explains the science behind x-rays, then divides the book into animal classes starting with arthropods and mollusks and ending with mammals. Each x-ray photograph, most filling a single page, is accompanied by a page of text with information about the animal. X-rays are typically black and white, but any plant life that was arranged with the animal are tinged with color, making for a visually arresting image.
The text, while conversational veers toward wordy. The images are the stars here. This book would not necessarily be useful in research, but would be wonderful for browsing and instilling wonder at the natural world.
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