This book examines the psychology, history and theory of collecting, focusing not just on orderly and normative examples of collections, but also the non-conformist and eccentric collections which reflect our fascination with the 'Other'. The theoretical, descriptive and historical papers which make up the chapters of the book scrutinize theories of collecting, individual collectors including Sir John Soane and Sigmund Freud, and the ways in which collecting changes across time, from imperialist explorations to modern popular culture.