A brief and entertaining history of the collecting mania from ancient times reveals both famous and near-forgotten collections of the past. The main part of the book looks at current collections by private collectors, split into four main categories of Grand Old Traditional, Natural History, Curiosities and Eccentricities, and Avant-Garde Art & Chic. Collectors from around the world are featured, including Hunt Slonem in New York, Ernst von Loesch in Berlin, and Robert Opie in the UK, with collections ranging from skulls and butterflies to farm machinery and modern art.