If youve ever wanted to start collecting anything, as a hobby or as an investment or for any other reason, and you werent sure of just what to collect, the amazing number of color photographs of collections from around the world will surely whet your appetite. The author of this book has broken down the subject of collecting into 9 loose categories of collectors: The Antiquarians (descendants of Renaissance and 18th century collectors), The Explorers (those interested in ethnic and curious pieces from all over the world), The Perfectionists (those who only want the best in its field), The Naturalists (those who collect natural objects of minerals, flora or fauna), The Utilitarians (who collect practical things), The Inheritors (those who receive existing collections from other people), The Enthusiasts (those who collect anything that pleases them), The Decorators (those who collect for the purpose of decorating) and The Miniaturists (those who are fascinated with things that are tiny). Just browsing through this book and looking at the great collections people have put together is a breathtaking experience and shows how wide the variety and how personal the tastes. Theres plenty of descriptive explanation that goes with each of the nine categories and the photographs are grouped accordingly to make it easy to skip to the styles that most interest you. My only major problem with the book is that, while the photographs are absolutely beautiful, and the collections are phenomenal, the photos makes one think that these collections are well arranged and displayed. The majority are not! The displaying of these collections often appears to have been thrown together without much regard to how to display them in such a way so they will attract attention and enhance the room as well. Its one thing to create a great collection. Its quite another thing to feel compelled to display every single piece all at the same time. When you get into that, its just overkill and the collection ceases to be that interesting and becomes a burden to try to absorb. Better to put out a few pieces here and a few there and store the rest and exchange whats out for whats stored periodically, rather than put everything out at the same time. Doing so is more a matter of the ego of the collector and less of a desire to enhance the collection with an attractive display. I recognize that a sizeable portion of these collections are from all over the world and displayed in homes where their owners reside, still there are display concepts that should be universally used if you really want other people to appreciate your collection. In this case, less would definitely be more!
