Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Synopsis
On Collecting examines the nature of the widespread phenomenon within our society. Many of us are involved in the activity of collecting, and many more of us are fascinated by others' collections; yet surprisingly little is known about how and why we engage in this activity.
In the past, the study of collecting has concentrated upon the content of collections, but new work in the field is concerned with collecting itself as a process, and with the nature of collections as part of our effort to construct an intelligible world view.
Gathering objects together is a universal human custom, yet every society collects in different ways. Susan Pearce looks at the way we collect and what this tells us about ourselves and our society. She also explores the psychology of collecting--how we bestow value on certain objects and how this adds meaning to our lives; whether men and women collect differently; and how we use objects to construct our identity.
On Collecting breaks new ground in its analysis of our relationship to the material world. It will be of value to anyone interested in cultural history and the phenomenon of collecting.