An infinity of things : how Sir Henry Wellcome collected the world / Frances Larson.

Author
Larson, Frances, 1976- [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2009.
Description
xi, 343 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Availability

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Firestone Library - Stacks R489.W3945 L37 2009 Browse related items Request

    Details

    Subject(s)
    Library of Congress genre(s)
    Rare books genre
    Summary note
    An Infinity of Things tells the story of one of the largest private collections ever created, and the life of the man behind it. Wellcome planned a great museum filled with treasures from all corners of the globe, charting the history of human health from prehistory to the present day. The breadth of his vision was matched only by the depth of his pockets. During the opening decades of the twentieth century he acquired a collection so large that later generations of staff took to describing its contents by the ton. But Wellcome's museum was never finished, and his collection was still stored in vast warehouses when he died, unseen and incomplete. Today, after decades of work by his successors, artefacts from the collection can be seen in museums and libraries throughout the world. Demonstrating what can happen when a collector's aspirations are left unconstrained by wealth, Frances Larson explores Wellcome's life through his possessions, revealing the many tensions in his character: between his talents as a businessman and his desire for scholarly recognition; his curiosity and his perfectionism; and his philanthropic aspirations and his drive for personal glory.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references and index.
    Contents
    • Roots: Herewith please find three rolls of chocolate foil ; A very full and complete volume ; The ideal of my heart
    • Tactics: An historical exhibition of rare and curious objects ; Excuse me Mr Treve ; Fellow feeling as a collector ; The whole of India should be ransacked ; An impossible man to deal with
    • Outcomes: The finest historical medical museum in the world ; When the whole is complete, it will be an exact facsimile of the original ; This is the history of medicine ; All tied up in knots ; We need very complete collections of all their fabrications ; This International Historical Museum
    • Legacies: Shelve it ; Ingrained habits of cautiousness ; Sir Henry Wellcome is dead ; Honour to whom honour is due.
    ISBN
    • 9780199554461
    • 0199554463
    LCCN
    2009928977
    OCLC
    633132865
    Statement on language in description
    Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage. Read more...
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