Morbid Curiosities: Collections of the Uncommon and the Bizarre

by Paul Gambino

Overview

A fascinating insight into the strange world of collectors of the macabre, Morbid Curiosities features 18 unique collections and an extensive interview with each collector, explaining how and why they collect, and showcasing the most remarkable pieces from each collection.

The collections include skulls, mummified body parts, taxidermy, occult objects and various carnival, and side-show and criminal ephemera. Detailed captions tell the curious stories behind each object, many of which are being shown outside the private world of their collections for the first time.

Morbid Curiosities includes stunning, specially commissioned photography of both the individual objects and the context of how the collector exhibits their work, forming a unique showcase of the bizarre and the intriguing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399615228
Publisher:	Orion
Publication date:	05/04/2023
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	490,090
File size:	29 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Paul Gambino has been an avid collector of the macabre for over 20 years and owns an extensive collection of nineteenth-century memorial photographs. His two decades of collecting have gained him access to some of the world’s most elite collectors of the macabre.

Editorial Reviews

10/10/2016
Gambino, an avid collector of Victorian memorial photographs, surveys 17 collectors of some of the most macabre and unsettling items for this fascinatingly gruesome book. Readers are introduced to collectors such as Jessika M., an Indiana realtor whose collection includes a prison shank and the ID of the prisoner it was used to kill as well as correspondence from serial killers such as John Wayne Gacy; Sky G., whose paintings and medical ephemera are museum quality; and father and son collectors Steve and Daniel Erenberg, who have amassed a truly impressive collection of gas masks and medical devices. The book contains shrunken heads, monkey paws, brains in jars, mummies, and lots and lots of skeletons, but Gambino’s goal is to not to shock; he just wants to give his subjects a chance to share their collections, many of which are privately held. All of the collectors and their holdings are treated with respect. The collectors’ passion and approaches to curation are truly remarkable. A massive store of rare Ouija boards and one of the first sets of forensic tools are just two of the gems readers will find. Though not for the faint of heart, this is a stunning survey of some of the rarest (and creepiest!) collections in the world. Color photos. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly