The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death | 
| Author: Corinne May Botz
Publisher: Monacelli
List Price: $35.00
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Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 146687
Media: Hardcover
Edition: First Edition
Pages: 225
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.4
Dimensions (in): 10.7 x 8.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 1580931456
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.259523
EAN: 9781580931458
ASIN: 1580931456
Publication Date: September 28, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: SLIGHT WEAR TO DJ BUT NO TEARS. TEXT IS LIKE NEW. SHIPS OUT NEXT DAY WITH RELIABLE AND PERSONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE. 7
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Amazon.com Review
Bizarre and utterly fascinating, The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death is a dark and disturbing photographic journey through criminal cases and the mind of Frances Glessner Lee--grandmother, dollhouse-maker, and master criminal investigator. Photographer Corinne May Botz stumbled across the "Nutshell Studies" while making a video about women who collect dollhouses. On the suggestion of a collector, she visited the Baltmore Medical Examiner's Office, where Lee's miniature reconstructions of crime scenes were on display. The macabre dioramas fascinated and repulsed her: "I was entranced by the details: the porcelain doll with a broken arm in the attic, the grains of sugar on the kitchen floor...I was also riveted by the miniature corpses. Shot in bed, collapsed in the bathtub, hung in the attic and stabbed in the closet; all were eternally frozen in miniature rooms that had become their tombs." A remarkable woman, Frances Glessner Lee established the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard in 1936. At the time, innumerable murders went undetected because evidence was mishandled, or ignored. To train investigators of sudden and violent deaths to better assess visual evidence, Lee created the Nutshell Studies--dollhouses that students could study from every angle, with minute crime scenes details taken from actual cases. Lee created 18 dioramas, using only the most mysterious cases (cases that could have been ruled as accidents, murders, or suicides) to train detectives and challenge their ability to read evidence. Botz reveals as much about the nature of obsession as she does about Frances Glessener Lee--each model is painstakingly photographed from multiple vantage points, allowing the reader to witness the astounding level of realism and precision in each case, as well as giving the reader unobstructed access to each eerie setting. All 18 studies include a brief synopsis of each case, as well as a key to each grisly floor plan. Perfect for amateur sleuths, aspiring medical examiners, and fans of CSI, The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death is grim and oh so bewitching. --Daphne Durham Amazon.com Content
Inside The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death 
Case: "Living Room" | 
Case: "Three-Room Dwelling" | 
Case: "Dark Bathroom" |
Product Description
This fascinating and macabre volume offers readers an extraordinary glimpse into the mind of a master criminal investigator. Frances Glessner Lee, a wealthy grandmother, founded the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard in 1936 and was later appointed captain in the New Hampshire police. In the 1940s she built dollhouse crime scenes based on real cases in order to train detectives to assess visual evidence. Still used in forensic training today, the eighteen Nutshell dioramas, on a scale of 1:12, display an astounding level of detail: tiny pencils write, window shades move, whistles blow, and clues to the crime scene are revealed to those who study them carefully. Corrine Botz's lush color photographs lure viewers into every crevice of Frances Lee's models and breathe life into these deadly miniatures, which represent the dark side of domestic life, unveiling tales of prostitution, alcoholism and adultry. Botz's introductory essay, which draws on archival research and interviews with Lee's family and police colleagues, present a captivating portrait of the creator of these amazing miniatures.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
Wonderful concept, disappointing pictures October 22, 2004
E. H. Perry (CA USA)
35 out of 40 found this review helpful
The story of the Nutshell Studies is wonderful and intriguing. The Studies themselves are also intriguing... I think. The problem is that the photographs in this book are artsily blurry. I couldn't see the crime scenes clearly. An especial frustration is that there are line drawings of the crime scenes with clues marked -- but there's no corresponding photograph! It's very annoying to be told, for instance, that a doll's face is red from carbon monoxide when I can't see that face in any of the pictures.
 And the Truth Shall Make You Free December 5, 2004
Melanie Gilbert (Boston, MA USA)
21 out of 30 found this review helpful
The original Nutshell Studies were dioramas of evil and tragedy, created over 60 years ago by Chicago heiress Frances Glessner Lee, who used them to train investigators in the art of dissecting a crime. The presentation of these meticulously and faithfully reproduced scenes of mayhem - at a 1:12 scale - forced investigators to literally see "the little things," at a time when ignorant officers often ruined evidence critical to solving the case.
Author Corinne May Botz, who also shot the multiple-angle photographs of the 18 models, explores how conflicts and contrasts are at the heart of the dioramas as well as their creator, Lee. Botz suggests that Lee expressed her tension and ambivalence about her place in society through these equally conflicted and violent still lifes.
I gave this book 5 stars because I appreciated its fine quality - it is beautifully produced by Monacelli Press - but I also respected the way Botz's accompanying essays draw parallels rather than conclusions between Lee's life and her unconventional Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. Botz's essay's show that whether it is a crime scene or a personal journey, the search for truth is what good investigators seek. Lee would have been proud.
One of my new favorite books October 25, 2004
J. Ben Gaily (New York, NY)
15 out of 19 found this review helpful
I picked up a copy of this book last week at a Chelsea art opening of the author's work. I think that the book is fabulous, both on the level that its subject matter is fascinating and in the quality and artistry of the photographs. I like the ambiguity of the pictures. The dioramas and stories are both intriguing and mysterious--there are no easy answers, which makes the book an intellectually interesting and challenging read. I notice new things each time I pick it up. All of the friends that I have shown the book to have loved it. Can't recommend it highly enough!
Wonderful Concept, Wonderful Pictures November 13, 2004
Rylan Crooks (Baltimore, Maryland)
5 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book really is about the images. The forensic and investigative side of the book is intrigueing as well, but they are not the only focus. The line-drawing diagrams were added as an editorial compromise to a strictly photographic book. Corinnes' very large (30"x40"+) prints are currently being shown in manhattan and are very impressive on a larger scale as well. I very highly recommend this book.
 Excellent Photo's August 4, 2005
Elena Steuber (Seattle WA)
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
I loved this book all except the fact they didn't tell you the answers to the death riddles and yes they do have them. Darn now I have to become a law enforcement agent to find out.
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