Synopsis of Collecting in a Consumer Society

Collecting, whether by individuals or institutions, is a form of consumption. In this revised paperback edition of his groundbreaking book, Russell W. Belk examines the relationship between the development of the consumer society and the rise of collecting by individuals and institutions. He also considers how and why people collect, as individuals, corporations and museums, and the impact this collecting has on us and our culture. Collecting in a Consumer Society outlines the history of museum collecting from ancient civilizations to the present. It also looks at aspects of consumer culture - advertising, department stores, mass merchandising, consumer desire, and how this relates to the activity of collecting. This was, and still is, the first book to focus on collecting as material consumption. The author's new preface updates this provocative and engaging book with new references and an analysis of how the internet has effected collecting cultures, ensuring that this work remains essential reading for anyone involved with the process of collecting, across a variety of disciplines - anthropology, psychology, consumption studies, museum studies, sociology and collecti