Relics - by Jamie Grove & Mini Museum & Max Grove (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Four billion years in the palm of your hand, Relics: A History of the World Told in 133 Objects is the story of our planet as you've never seen it before.

The Mini Museum is a collection of treasures gathered from across space and time shared by tens of thousands of people in more than 120 countries. Each item in the collection is a story connected to a childhood dream of sharing all the wonders the universe has to offer while bringing all of us closer together.

In this book, the Mini Museum team shares the stories of real objects that have shaped our very existence across billions of years of history. Beginning with the birth of our solar system and the very building blocks of life, you'll explore our dynamic planet, from the constant shifting of continents to dramatic and violent upheavals, which have changed the course of all life again and again. You'll visit mighty civilizations with cultures spanning millennia, as well as modern symbols of creativity and innovation, and the march of humanity as we reach toward the stars.

Every item is photographed and presented in detail. There are also wild tales of adventure as the crew travels the world and prepares one of the most complex collections ever assembled.

About the Author

Jamie Grove is a recovering marketing executive who hopes that one day he can just write long-winded books and take pictures of beautiful people, amazing creatures, and fascinating places. Until that magical day comes, Jamie is very happy to be the cofounder at Mini Museum. When he's not preparing dinosaur skin or Martian lava, Jamie handles most aspects of the day-to-day business. He makes his home in the Washington DC area.

Jamie's eclectic background includes stints in the fields of programming, marketing, executive management, creative development, writing, children's publishing, Internet development, the energy sector, scientific manufacturing, photography, character licensing, direct mail, consumer goods, crowdfunding, startups, unicorn meat, and dinosaur bones.

Over the last few years, he has dedicated himself to the Mini Museum, where he handles most of the business side including marketing and operations. He is also the principal photographer and behind-the-scenes writer, having to date written five books and numerous articles related to the Mini Museum. He is currently writing the Museum's first trade book, Relics, coming in 2021 from Weldon Owen. Of his current work he says, "Considering the books and the fantastic specimens in our collection, I guess in many ways I am living my dream of creating beautiful stories about the universe around us."

The first Mini Museum collection launched in 2014 with a simple dream: to share a love of science and history, and enable regular people to own tiny, yet magical, pieces of amazing objects, all ethically sourced from sites around the globe. Since then, the Museum's offerings have grown to encompass more than 150 different topics across billions of years of history. The Museum has reached more than 40,000 customers in 120 different countries, and has sent nearly 1,000,000 objects to homes, schools, and museums around the world. The Museum's core product is a slab of Lucite smaller than the average tablet, with 30 or so fragments embedded in it--encompassing literally billions of years of history, from amino acids that predate our solar system to dinosaur bones, medieval chain mail, rock and roll ephemera, and modern spacecraft. Some of these items are also available as individual displays, charm bracelets, and more, each with detailed sourcing and certificates of authenticity.

Max Grove is a recent graduate of William and Mary. He's been a part of the Mini Museum team since high school, researching amazing artifacts and learning the best ways to slice them up. When he isn't studying our planet, he's building his own worlds in tabletop RPGs. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio.