Are collectors alone?

At first glance, many people ridicule collectors for their passion. Many forget that collecting in itself is always a process of preservation, conservation and protection. Without collectors, we would be poorer by countless cultural assets.

When it comes to collecting artists' books, there is yet another aspect. As a carrier material, the book combines the text with the artistic design, two often different areas into a complete work of art. What is often enriching is the direct contact, the intellectual exchange with the -, the artists themselves.

Communication is and has always been a very important part of collecting, no matter whether the location of the best berries was passed on in the past, or today the information about which artist has which interesting book available at the moment.

Another aspect of collecting is showing off the treasures you have found. Very few people collect only for themselves. Collectors have always been people who want to share their good fortune with others, no matter what their motives are for building up a collection. To keep a collection under lock and key, to keep it exclusively for oneself, not to show it, is contrary to collecting.

A collector is, even if it is not obvious to many, in his deepest soul a communicative person who likes to share his interests and treasures with his friends but also with strangers.

Have I succeeded in making you curious?

Gerd J. Wunderer