Rating: 3/5
Review:
Tough going
My word, this was hard work!
It's thorough, remarkably well researched and with a firm purpose in
mind, but as a readable biography I found it pretty tough going.
Hans Sloane was at the centre of The Enlightenment and his
collections of objects of all kinds formed the basis of what became The British
Museum. He was an immensely significant
figure in the development of Western civilization, and I was keen to find out
more about him and what he actually did.
I like to read a good biography and am perfectly prepared to put in a
fair amount of work to understand and digest what is written about someone, but
this wasn't really for me. I suspect
that it may be much better suited for academic reference – I think it is
significant that about one-third of the book's 500-odd pages are devoted to
notes, references and the index.
James Delbourgo has done a colossal amount of research in
compiling this book. He likens trying to
understand Sloane through his collections to the futility of those who tried to
understand Citizen Kane through his work.
He attempts to reveal the man through his correspondence and his huge
network of acquaintances throughout the world, and it is a strong thesis of the
book that the collecting was not solely conducted by Sloane but a huge
collaborative effort which Sloane largely maintained and co-ordinated. It's decently done, but I found the immense
wealth of detail and slightly stodgy style hard to take in large
quantities. This read more like a
textbook than something intended for a more general readership (and the dense,
small type doesn't help), and as a result I didn't really feel I'd got to the
man himself.
This may be just me and others may fare better. Plainly this is a work of fine scholarship
which will be of real value to students of the period. Personally, however, I can't recommend
Collecting The World as the readable, illuminating book I was hoping for.
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