{"product_id":"a-noble-madness-by-james-delbourgo-9781529424034","title":"A Noble Madness","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Noble Madness\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e offers a magisterial rethinking of why we collect. \"I loved this book,\" says Edmund de Waal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Magnificent... so compulsive and entertaining,\"\u003c\/strong\u003e notes Stephen Fry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Give it to the collector in your life, and watch sparks fly!\"\u003c\/strong\u003e advises Cathy Gere.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A delight to read and ponder,\"\u003c\/strong\u003e remarks Jackson Lears.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A tour de force of scholarship and storytelling,\"\u003c\/strong\u003e states Daniel Weiss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA captivating history of obsessive collectors:\u003c\/strong\u003e From ancient looters and idolaters to fin de siècle decadents, Freudian psychos, and hoarders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCollectors are often praised for their taste in art or contributions to science, but there can be a darker side: their passion is sometimes driven by dangerous obsession. Roman emperors who lusted after statues; Chinese scholars obsessed with rocks and flowers; fin de siècle dandies surrounded by bibelots. History is full of stories about those who love things more than people, presenting a danger either to themselves or others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this sweeping history from antiquity to today, James Delbourgo tells the extraordinary story of the mad collector as a cultural figure from the tyrant and idolater to the sexually repressed \"psycho\" of the Freudian imagination and the modern-day hoarder. His conclusion is surprising: Because they are driven by passion rather than profit, obsessive collectors have also been cultural heroes, seen as authentic and true to themselves. Some may be mad, but theirs is a \u003cstrong\u003enoble madness\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47872818151660,"sku":"9781529424034","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781529424034-a-noble-madness.jpg?v=1782935477","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/a-noble-madness-by-james-delbourgo-9781529424034","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}