{"product_id":"a-noble-madness-the-dark-side-of-collecting-from-antiquity-to-now-hardcover","title":"A Noble Madness: The Dark Side of Collecting from Antiquity to Now - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJames Delbourgo\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCollectors are often praised for their taste in art or contributions to science, and considered great public benefactors. But collectors have also been seen as dangerous obsessives who love objects too much. Why? From looters and idolaters to fin de siècle decadents and Freudian psychos, \u003cem\u003eA Noble Madness\u003c\/em\u003e is a captivating history of obsessive collectors from ancient times to today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom Roman emperors lusting after statues to modern-day hoarders, award-winning author James Delbourgo tells the extraordinary story of fanatical collectors throughout history. He explains how the idea first emerged that when we look at someone's collection, we see a portrait of their soul: complex, intriguing, yet possibly insane. What Delbourgo calls \"the Romantic collecting self\" has always lurked on the dark side of humanity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut this dark side has a silver lining. Because obsessive collectors are driven by passion, not profit, they have been countercultural heroes in the modern imagination, defying respectability and taste in the name of truth to self.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA grand portrait gallery of collectors in all their decadent glory, \u003cem\u003eA Noble Madness\u003c\/em\u003e recounts the saga of the human urge to accumulate, from Caligula to Marie Antoinette, Balzac to Freud, Norman Bates to Andy Warhol. Collectors' love of objects may be mad, even dangerous. But we want to believe their love's a noble madness because by expressing that love, they are themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.09 x 9.18 x 6.34 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 12, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52915017351484,"sku":"9780393541960","price":31.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0975\/7265\/1324\/files\/6Cz69ePG6c9780393541960.webp?v=1774357503","url":"https:\/\/barginbooks.co\/products\/a-noble-madness-the-dark-side-of-collecting-from-antiquity-to-now-hardcover","provider":"Books Fare ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}