Description
A fascinating, one-of-a-kind journey through the obsessive world of collecting (and stamps) by maverick historian and cult writer Robert Irwin.
“[A] delightful mishmash of quotations, digressions, obscure facts, arcane anecdotes and playful romps.” — Literary Review Why do we collect? Is it to rescue objects from oblivion? Is it a kind of desire–or even a kind of madness? Robert Irwin–novelist, historian, translator, collector–was a true original; a virtuoso thinker who combined encyclopaedic knowledge with boundless curiosity. In this ‘mosaic of fiction, philosophy, sociology, biography and autobiography’ he takes us on a wayward journey through the art of collecting, and his own intellectual passions. Drawing on a treasure-trove of literary references from writers including Susan Sontag, Walter Benjamin, Iris Murdoch and Georges Perec, as well as a host of lesser-known geniuses, flaneurs, obsessives and eccentrics, Irwin explores everything from mysticism to nostalgia, psychology to propaganda, classical antiquity to surrealism, dreams to death. We join Thomas De Quincey on a night mail coach, encounter the man who set out to acquire every stamp ever issued, enter the shadowlands of long-vanished kingdoms and the badlands of fakes and forgeries, all in the company of a uniquely brilliant mind. This is a one-of-a-kind book of wonders; of labyrinthine digressions, good humour and a ‘delight in small things’. It is a satisfying and unforgettable meditation on the stuff of life.Binding Type: Paperback
Author: Robert Irwin
Published: 06/02/2026
Publisher: Pushkin Press
ISBN: 9781805337768
Pages: 240
Weight: 0.47lbs
Size: 0.74″ H x 7.79″ L x 5.16″ W
About the Author
Robert Irwin (1946-2024) was a novelist, publisher, reviewer, Arabist and historian. He was a fellow of The Royal Society of Literature and the author of ten novels, including The Arabian Nightmare, Satan Wants Me and Tom’s Version, as well as many works of non-fiction including The Arabian Nights: A Companion and Memoirs of a Dervish.
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