The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death

Corinne May Botz brought to life an amazing woman who was not about to accept the status quo in forensics. Frances Glessner Lee may have been brought up a proper middle-class lady, but she broke out of her shell and was counted among those who insisted that all ME's should have medical licenses. He nutshell studies are still used today to train new detectives. How amazing that a child's toy mostly associated with women is being used to help solve crimes. This book may seem macabre and gruesome, but there is a delicate beauty to this creation in the midst of so much destruction. I rate this as a highly readable, totally engaging book. Try it for yourself.

I deal with forensic science and have had this book since around April 2011 when I paid only $15 for the hardcover. A friend asked me to get the book for her, and couldn't believe the prices ppl are paying for this. What many do not know was that Frances's father was the founder/presidenet of International Harvester and they had a home on thousands of acres. Her brother went on the Harvard University but her father didn't believe in higher education for females. She became fascinated with Forensic Science and the prperty she inherited was covered with walnut trees. She began to buld detaled miniature crime scenes in the walnut shells - comlete to the color/print of the clothing; hair color; eye color if their eyes were open postmortem. She married late in life; had children, then divorced. I first read about her in a quarterly issue of my Forensic Examiner journal, since I am a member of the American College of Forensic Examiners Insitute. Book Description Publication Date: September 28, 2004 The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death 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 and 1950s 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: pencils write, window shades move, whistles blow, and clues to the crimes are revealed to those who study the scenes carefully. Corinne May Botz's lush color photographs lure viewers into every crevice of Frances Lee's models and breathe life into these deadly miniatures, which present the dark side of domestic life, unveiling tales of prostitution, alcoholism, and adultery. The accompanying line drawings, specially prepared for this volume, highlight the noteworthy forensic evidence in each case. Botz's introductory essay, which draws on archival research and interviews with Lee's family and police colleagues, presents a captivating portrait of Lee. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I can't even begin to describe how much I love this book. If I could change one thing about it, I would like the photos to be a little less artsy. The charm in the dioramas is that they are so intricate and meticulous, and most of the photos have this blurry outline where I'd really just like to see the entire picture. But nonetheless, excellent purchase. I'm happy to add it to my library of conversation pieces. I had to wait over a month for it to be available but it was well worth the wait.

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.

Fascinating book about an unusual woman who created 20 miniature room boxes which were used as forensic teaching tools. Well-written and photographed, it was actually fun (and a bit macabre) to pour over the scenes of death and try and find clues to the death scene. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in forensic science, miniatures and murder mysteries! I wish there were MORE photographs!

I'd prefer to give Nutshell Studies 3.5 stars but rounded up because I admire the author for writing this oddly fascinating book at all, and for the excellent biography of Lee in the introduction. Each study has one good photo of the overall scene, several blurred closeups, quite a good description of the scene and background information on the 'victim'. The photos do leave out things: for instance in the tavern miniature Lee constructed the (unseen) bar - why not include a photo of that in the book as a titbit? I agree with other reviewers that the blurriness in the closeups is very irritating, as is including solutions to only a few of the 'cases'. I suppose it's possible that both of these were restrictions imposed upon the author by the miniatures' current guardians (although the author should've stated this if so). I preferred the approach taken in Mauriello's "Dollhouse Murders" where he walked the reader through each scene explaining how a detective would evaluate it. Nonetheless I would dearly love to see the miniatures for myself as a result of reading this book.

Las fotografías son muy detalladas, pero se pierden los detalles y la esencia del tema por enfoques imposibles y parciales. No sirve, por tanto, para realmente estudiar los caso. Además, al menos con mi libro, hay un caso que se omite y otro que se repite en dos ocasiones.

Prodotto in perfetto stato, spedizione velocissima.

Really very interesting actually.

This is a great book for anyone interested in criminology, art or the value of creative approaches to problems more usually solved via dry scientific analysis. The ideas, photos and accompanying text are excellent. It's also a fitting tribute to a brilliant woman whose work revolutionised crime scene investigations.

A little gem of a book for forensic fans ! The book discusses Frances Glessner Lee's intricate miniature modelling process, her life, and inspirations; in addition to highlighting the nutshell mysteries in detail. Ms. Lee was a true genius and artist! The photos and diagrams are super helpful in trying to figure things out. Note: the miniature murder scenes are meant as a training tool, so if you're looking for an answer to the mysteries, the book does not provide those details.