Originally created to preserve a record of scientific samples, the black and white X-rays of fish at the Smithsonian Institution have emerged as astonishing works of art in their own right. This stunning compendium of imagescomparable to fine and delicate engravingsis drawn from the National Museum of Natural History, which holds the world's largest collection of ichthyological specimens (and which, upon the reopening of its Ocean Hall in Summer of 2008, will put these X-rays on permanent display). As mesmerizingly beautiful as they are amazingly detailed, these images reveal thehidden wonders of the creatures of the deep.

Introduction by: Stephanie Comer