Extreme Collecting

The material culture of persecution : collecting for the Holocaust exhibition at the Imperial War Museum / Suzanne BardgettLyricism and offence in Egyptian archaeology collections / Stephen QuirkeContested human remains / Jack LohmanExtreme or commonplace : the collecting of unprovenanced antiquities / Kathy Walker TubbUnfit for society? : the case of the Galton Collection at UCL / Natasha McEnroeKnowing the new / Susan PearceThe global scope of extreme collecting : Japanese woodblock prints on the Internet / Richard WilkAwkward objects : collecting, deploying and debating relics / Jan GeisbuschGreat expectations and modest transactions : art, commodity and collecting / Henrietta LidchiExtremes of collecting at the Imperial War Museum, 1917-2009 : struggles with the large and the ephemeral / Paul CornishPlasticswhy not? : a perspective from the Museum of Design in Plastics / Susan LambertTime capsules as extreme collecting / Brian DurransCanning cans, or, What you can do with tins : an interview with Robert Opie / J.C.H. King.

By exploring the processes of collecting, which challenge the bounds of normally acceptable practice, this book debates the practice of collecting 'difficult' objects, from a historical and contemporary perspective; and discusses the acquisition of objects related to war and genocide, and those purchased from the internet, as well as considering human remains, mass produced objects and illicitly traded antiquities. The aim is to apply a critical approach to the rigidity of museums in maintaining essentially nineteenth-century ideas of collecting; and to move towards identifying priorities for collection policies in museums, which are inclusive of acquiring 'difficult' objects. Much of the book engages with the question of the limits to the practice of collecting as a means to think through the implementation of new strategies.

A fascinating insight into the strange world of collectors of the macabre, Morbid Curiosities features 18 unique collections and an extensive interview with each collector, explaining how and why they collect, and showcasing the most remarkable pieces from each collection. The collections include skulls, mummified body parts, taxidermy, occult objects and various carnival, and side-show and criminal ephemera. Detailed captions tell the curious stories behind each object, many of which are being shown outside the private world of their collections for the first time. Morbid Curiosities includes stunning, specially commissioned photography of both the individual objects and the context of how the collector exhibits their work, forming a unique showcase of the bizarre and the intriguing.

High Collection Nonimaging Optics covers the many developments and the wider range of applications of nonimaging optics. This book is organized into 11 chapters that emphasize the application of nonimaging optics to concentrators for solar energy. This text begins with discussions on the development of formalisms in nonimaging optics, specifically in the use of geometrical vector flux concept, which have led to entirely different concentrator designs. These topics are followed by a description of the so-called compound parabolic concentrator, the prototype of a series of nonimaging concentrators that approach very close to being ideal and having the maximum theoretical concentration ratio. The next chapters examine the concept of the flow line approach to nonimaging concentration; the geometrical optics model of nonimaging optics; and constructional tolerances and manufacturing methods for nonimaging optical components. A chapter highlights the applications of concentrator designs to solar energy concentrations. The last chapter surveys the applications of nonimaging optics to optical system design and to instrument design, with particular reference to utilization of light sources with maximum efficiency. This book will be of great benefit to nonimaging optics scientists and design engineers.