Curious Minds has a wide range of scientific, mathematical and mind-bending toys.
As of writing their bestsellers seem to be glass prism, solar system toys, ant farms, electronics and chemistry kits, and a classic favourite, the gyroscope.
Based in the UK they will deliver worldwide but you may need to wait for them to quote you a total delivery charge.
Bletchley Park's online shop has hundreds of gifts for people interested in code cracking and cryptography.
Books and CDs for children and adults on code breaking and the history of codes and the wartime work at Bletchley Park.
For the historian of science there are limited edition prints and photographs with many signed. You will find images of the Enigma Cipher, the Colossus MkII and the Decode Room in Hut 6. You can also own an original piece of slate from the Bletchley Park mansion roof.
The gifts section has some attractive mugs such as the Colossus "Plug" Mug and Coaster and a variety of souvenirs such as keyrings and mousemats, posters and greeting cards.
The shopping cart is a bit old-fashioned and worth looking through the subsections so as not to miss anything, but as children (and adults) love to make and break secret codes, you'll find some unique gifts here at Bletchley Park.
The online Gift Shop at the Museum of Science in Boston has all the usual science books, games and toys. As always, I've had a dig around to see if there is anything unusual or interesting.
Their Unique Gifts section is very small but does include a set of salt and pepper shakers shaped like computer keyboard keys with letters S and P. There is also an Eco-conscious Gifts section, again rather small but the T-shirts look attractive. Indeed worth looking around as the cross-linkage of items across categories is very poor, so that those eco T-shirts do not appear in the apparel category, also the futuristic MoS coffee mug is in Souvenirs but not in Drinkware!
For being such a big museum, their online shop is disappointing. But T-shirts and drinking mugs do look nice, but as I said, have a look around as things are not always in the obvious place.
The online shop of the American Museum of Natural History has a wealth of original gifts, from just a few bucks up to many thousands of dollars. An Alisa Peacock Navajo Wool Rug will set you back $10,000 and yet an attractive black AMNH mug can be had for just $12.95.
Apart from the usual stock of science and natural history educational materials and toys, the American Museum of Natural History is very good at creating decorative gifts and apparel linked to both their temporary and permanent exhibitions. As of writing they have specific sections on Butterflies, The Horse and Space. A silk T. Rex Skeleton Tie at $52 is on the tasteful side of novelty ties.
Worth checking out as new exhibitions appear.
The Royal Society of Chemistry has a small online shop, mainly selling books, as well as journals and subscriptions.
I think the two most interesting and unusual books are the Chemistry and Biology of Winemaking and Kitchen Chemistry.
"Someone once said that 'wine is a mixture of chemistry, biology and psychology'. It has certainly fascinated people over the centuries and without a doubt been enjoyed by many. Indeed, from its serendipitous roots as an attempt to store fruit, wine has been woven into the fabric of society; from its use in religion to today's sophisticated products sampled over a meal."
Sadly, not really very much as yet in the games section and general cultural artefacts, however there is a 550-piece Visual Elements Jigsaw puzzle.
The RSC also has an extensive Image Library that you can browse online and order reproductions, but there are no prices so this has to be done by request or just pop in to Burlington House.
The Linnean Society has a very small online shop. You can order the society's publications but the most unusual objects are a Tercentenary Wedgwood Medallion and Bronze Medal. The Bronze Medal is in a limited edition of only 300 and, last I looked, still seem to be available.
The portrait medallion of Linnaeus is one of several variants of the famous Wedgwood profile. It was originally made in 1775 by the English sculptor John Flaxman (1775-1826), and derives from one of the wax portraits of 1773 by C.F. Inlander. I think the medallion makes an original present for the botanist, zoologist and general natural historian.
I discovered this company whilst browsing the Adler Planetarium online shop. However, it took some digging around to track them down.
Villalcor is a manufacturer of reproduction period pieces, including mathematical and scientific instruments from the 12th to the 19th centuries. Their contact details seem to be on this page, which is just a directory listing on Artesania Iberica. Strangely, there is no link to their catalogue, which is here at goma2. Yes, both sites are in Spanish only and goma2 is a horrible website, but just take a look through their catalogue. It seems to me a real shame that such beautiful objects are given such a poor online presence. I haven't investigated further but the company also seems to have let their domain name lapse. Perhaps they would just rather deal through agents.
Anyway, you will see that Villalcor makes antique compasses, portable sundials, armillary spheres, optical games such as zootropes and anamorphic images, and other decorative antique items. Some have been reproduced as miniatures to make them more affordable and portable.
As I said, Villalcor products are available in some shops, so perhaps the best approach is to send them an email to ask about stockists, unless, of course, you speak Spanish, in which case a phone call is likely to be much faster.
The Adler Planetarium is in Chicago, IL. Their Infinity Shop has clothing, binoculars, books, food, gifts, jewelry, posters, telescopes, toys and videos. Pretty much everything for the space buff!
Food? The Infinity shop sells food online. Not just ordinary food but ice-cream! OK, this is space age freeze-dried ice-cream plus space shuttle candy.
Their Gifts/Decor category has a beautiful Nocturlabio, made by Villalcor, and fun Solar System mugs.
Being a planetarium, the Adler shop also stocks Meade and Orion telescopes.
Shopping has never been so inspiring!
This blog is about shopping for science related goods on the internet. Perhaps you are looking for educational science kits for your children, or ingenious gadgets to show your friends, or that special print from one of the world's unique collections. Science is more than school work and isolated research facilities - it is part of our culture and our world view. It is therefore fitting that the products of our cultural heritage should be reproduced as scientific artistic creations.
This project has grown out of our Cities of Science website. It became apparent that many science museums and centres had their own shop and that many of these shops held unique items specific to that museum's collection. Some have already marketed themselves online and have become popular whereas others seem to rely mainly on visitors. This site gives you the opportunity to discover these unique science products even if you are far away from the store, and perhaps never likely to visit it in person. We will also include other shops of potential interest, such as scientific instruments and antiquarian books.
Hope you enjoy browsing our science shops.
Posts
All Comments
