To Have and To Hold | 
 enlarge | Author: Philipp Blom
Publisher: Overlook TP
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
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Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 162921
Media: Paperback
Pages: 345
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8
ISBN: 158567561X
Dewey Decimal Number: 745
EAN: 9781585675616
ASIN: 158567561X
Publication Date: June 1, 2004
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Condition: FIRST EDITION: FIRST PRINTING: Trade Paperback: Published by Overlook Press; Peter Mayer Publishing Group. Wraps in Excellent condition. Spine smooth; binding tight. Pages crisp, clean and unmarked. Professionally and securely packaged, with Tracking Number. International Shipping via Airmail. Satisfaction Guaranteed!
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Product Description
From amassing sacred relics to collecting celebrity memorabilia, the impulse to hoard has gripped humankind throughout the centuries. But what is it that drives people to possess objects that have no conceivable use? To Have and To Hold is a captivating tour of collectors and their treasures from medieval times to the present, from a cabinet containing unicorn horns and a Tsar's collection of teeth to the macabre art of embalmer Dr. Frederick Ruysch, the fabled castle of William Randolph Hearst, and the truly preoccupied men who stockpile food wrappers and plastic cups. Blom's gripping narration and bizarre cast of eccentrics, visionaries, and fanatics provide a fascinating glimpse into how a pastime becomes an all consuming passion and an engrossing story of the collector as bridegroom, deliriously, obsessively happy, wed to his possessions, till death do us part.
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| Customer Reviews:
"Then I realized that the thing I love is stuff" Alex Shear,the Noah of American life. July 18, 2008
J. Guild (Toronto,Canada)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
br / In this excellent book,Philipp Bloom tackles a subject that knows no bounds.Anyone who has been a collector of anything knows what a madness collecting can become. Blom covers the subject from the earliest days ,when the idea of collecting was only something that was in the world of the extremely rich and powerful;and covers how through history it has changed to become a pursuit by anyone and at any level;and with the objects being collected being endless. br / Over and over again ,throughout the book ;we see that no matter how great and extensive a collection is;the owner of the collection must face the reality of death,and the collection of objects must pass on as well.The book is loaded with maxims that apply to all collecting; br / br /Just a couple are; br / br / "In order to take objects out of circulation or to devote oneself to finding useless things,one has to be able to afford the time and resources to do so." br / br / "The most important object of a collection is the next one." br / br / "Whatever we collect,we have to kill." br / br / "Can one be a collector without collecting?" br / br / "Show me your library and I'll tell you who you are." br / br / "Every passion borders on chaos,that of the collector on the chaos of memory." br / br / "Those who own more find dying harder." br / br / Reading this book is somewhat like visiting "The Smithonion";but only having a couple of hours to do so.It is well written,so it is still a pleasure.It is filled with interesting stories,unbelievable pursuits,amazingly addicted people,and something new,interesting and different on every page. br / In the last 200 years,collecting has changed so much that it is something that can ,and is, taken up by the "common man" There are no rules and no limits as to what can be collected;and the only limits are time and imagination. Of course,money can be an issue,but not a necessity. br / One of my favorite books is "Cadallac Jack" by Larry McMurtry,about an antique buyer and collections in the southern United States.It is filled with eccentric collectors.Imagine a collector in Texas who filled his house with bird nests. A great read for any collector. br / I have collected several things over the years.Stamps,in my youth.Rocks,Minerals and Fossils,Puzzles,Yo-Yo's,and of course books. I retired at 56,and my "collections" give me endless enjoyment. br / I think the thing that is most thoughtful about this book is the question "Can one be a collector without collecting?" Many people build collections such as playing different golf courses,visiting different countries,sport events,etc. I am also an avid Birdwatcher.I have seen 598 different birds in North America. We call that a "life List" and it is as much a personal collection as someone who attempts to the most World Series or any other events. I consdider my Bird Life List just as much of a collection as my other collections. br / Blom has also included copious notes that give the reader a wealth of references if he wants to dig deeper into subjects he mentions in the book. br /
Absorbing and fascinating February 22, 2007
Joy Kearney (The Netherlands)
This is a book that takes you on a fascinating journey, is an enjoyable read and is also historically well-researched, so it can therefore be used by the student or academic as a useful reference. I came upon it quite by accident but now find it a very useful addition to my bookshelf. The story of the Ashmolean Museum's foundation was one of my particular favourites and really made my blood boil! Such stories are not often told about museum collections! I take my hat off to the author!
Stories and more.. February 18, 2007
Stephen Balbach (Ashton, MD United States)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
At first I thought this was going to be a survey of some eccentric collectors in history, on which is does not disappoint, but it turns out to be a lot richer and contain some real pearls of wisdom about life in general, and flashes of historical insight. br / br /Reading through the chapters of this book was a lot like rummaging through a private collectors cabinet of curiosities. The chapter titles alone don't provide direction and only after a few pages does it begin to reveal its treasure. Chapters cover aspects of collecting as diverse as: people who collected experiences with women (Casanova), the collecting of body parts (religious relics), collecting memories, American billionaires who bought up European heritage (JP Morgan, Hearst), collectors of mass-produced items (milk bottles, food wrappers), Princes and Kings such as Rudolf of Hapsburg (17th C) who filled his castle with the worlds greatest collections and slowly went mad, collecting as a madness, as a substitute for love, as a form of autism, as psychology, as crime - and in the end, as a warning to all those who take it too far.
Worlds of wonder May 30, 2003
Carlos Arribas (Astoria, NY)
15 out of 18 found this review helpful
Absorbing and beautifully written, with a great bibliography to lead you on in your travels through this fascinating genre. Blom does for the general subject of collecting what Basbanes did for bibliophilia in A Gentle Madness. Well worth the read.
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