In Flagrante Collecto (Caught in the Act of Collecting)

By Marilynn Gelfman Karp

Book Overview

Karp explores and catalogues our impulse to collect the incidental miscellanea of the past. Part observation, part confession, this book takes us on a journey of philosophical musings, cultural history, and personal memoir.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810955407
• ISBN13: 9780810955400
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 4.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.9" x 1.3" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Best book on Collecting - EVER

This is the best book I have found on Collecting. The writer gets into the state of mind of a collector, then presents profusely illustrated collections of an almost unbelievable scope. Like - you mean people really collect THIS? Yes they do and it's there. COOL book that will broaden your horizon - and you'll never throw anything away again because someone out there collects it.

Equisite eccentric and great looker.

This is a beautifully produced look book. The unusual and very particular collecting subject matter is very personal. Quirky, wonderfully photographed and of superior quality.

A Remarkable Book by a Vanguard Collector That Appeals to All Tastes

I have purchased at least seven copies of this fascinating book to give as gifts to a wide variety of friends. For those interested in collecting, the book offers fresh insights into the forces that motivate people to acquire, while illustrating a remarkable diversity of eccentric collections that surprise and delight. For the novice or general reader, the breadth and types of collections are amazing. The book is superbly designed and the objects beautifully photographed and presented. The author is a farsighted collector with an awesome range of historical knowledge and an accessible, highly informative writing style. I highly recommend this book for readers of all persuasions who simply enjoy being intellectually and visually stimulated.

Just terrific great fun

The first thing to hit me was how beautiful this book is. The photographs of the thousands of collectibles are delectable. It made me want to run out and find some of this stuff, or find new things to start collecting. The author unfolds her theories about why people collect, and describes many wonderful childhood scenes of Bronx life and early collections of marbles, baseball cards, sewing kits, you name it. Adult adventures collecting all over the world, and the collecting adventures of her friends and family, are included, and make for a wonderful warm biography of a collection of collectors. The descriptions of the original uses and methods of manufacturing of various collectibles is fascinating, and it's lovely to see simple and sometimes disposable things treated with such interest and respect. The history and character of our country shine through in the old graphics and designs of postcards, matchbooks, lawn sprinklers, and countless other items, and after spending time with them in this book, I can feel more deeply what's been lost to more efficient means of production. I'll never browse a flea market or garage sale quite the same way again. It's a wonderful conversation piece, a fun book to have around for guests to peruse. It gives you permission to bring out those old shoeboxes of stuff from under your bed and show them to your pals, even though you're not a kid any more. I loved this book, it was part anthropology, part history of design, part memoir, part encyclopedia, part travelogue, all work of endearing art.

A treasure trove!

I got a preview copy of this fantastic book and what a treasure. Insightful and informative, it has wisdom and information to offer on antiques, collecting, collectibles, history and psychology. The writing is engaging and the photgraphs practically glow; there is something fascinating in here for everyone.