Morbid Curiosities: Collections of the Uncommon and the Bizarre (Skulls, Mummified Body Parts, Taxidermy and more, remarkable, curious, macabre collections)

Morbid Curiosities is a great book! The collectors and their showcases featured are varied and very interesting. A must-read for those interested in the odd, the morbid and the macabre.

No oddity/curiosity book will be big enough or hold enough content to satisfy everyone. However, this book is very good quality. It has a kitschy look to it for display. The content is very good. It gives some insight not only into the items, but into the people who collect them and I think that is just as important. The photos are well presented and there's information about each one, not a bunch of pictures thrown in with nothing.Bottom line, if you're looking for an introduction to collecting oddities or you're just curious, etc.... This is a nice little book.

This is a fascinating, well curated look into the lives of people with alternative collecting habits. Beautiful photography and great copy make it a home library must. It is a great present for tattoo loving modernists or steampunk type visionaries. It is highly entertaining and informative. I give it five stars and encourage everyone to buy it, whether you are a skull-loving rocker or a vintage-wearing antique dealer. Great job, Mr. Paul Gambino !

First, the physical book is beautiful. Heavy stock, edged in black, is a joy to touch and turn. Rather than interrupt the flow with glossy plates, the photos are beautifully printed on the same stock in matte, which suits the mood of the book.The text is brief but informative. It's clear each subject was asked the same set of questions, but they are good questions, so I looked forward to each answer. I tend to skim text and descriptions, but I read each and every word of this book. Delicious from start to finish.If you are a fan of Oddities, you will recognize some folks. If you love dark things, there is something here for you.

Been on my wishlist for a long time. Finally pulled the trigger and couldn’t be happier!

If you’ve always wanted your own collection of, say, skulls, shrunken heads, anatomy specimens, or serial-killer souvenirs but can’t really afford it (or your spouse or your Mum won’t let you bring such things in the house), this is the book for you. It showcases 17 modern American (I think) collectors of “the uncommon and the bizarre” and their collections, with a full-page picture of each collector and around 15 photos of items from his or her collection. All photos are in color; some are full-page size, other half or quarter page. Text consists of two pages on each collector, answering such expected questions as How did you start collecting, What is your favorite piece, and What would you say to people who find this kind of object scary or disgusting; each picture from the collections is also captioned. Themes that appear frequently include the importance of such items as unappreciated aspects of history and an interest in the way that cultures in different times and places have responded to death. My only complaint about the book is that I wish it had been larger than its approximately 8x10” size so that the pictures could have been even bigger.If you do like this sort of thing, I also recommend Viktor Wynd’s Cabinet of Wonders (which does have larger dimensions, and includes collections in addition to Wynd’s); Paul Koudounaris, The Empire of Death: A Cultural History of Ossuariies and Charnel Houses; and Patrick Mauries, Cabinets of Curiosities (historic collections that included, but also usually went beyond, the bizarre or morbid to include a wide range of specimens from nature and art).

I got this as a gift for my boyfriend, he was instantly interested and flipping through the pages. Its a higher quality book with thick smooth pages and black edging detail I love. From a females perspective it has a wide variety of types of collections, there's sure to be at least 1 or 2 more interesting ones for each persons individual interests. I also like there are female collectors featured in this book.

debunks the stigmatism of collecting the odd and macabre ... goes to show the love , passion and respect most collectors have. the book should be used as a gateway to make this type of collecting more socially acceptable, educational and preserve a history that should be used for younger generations to learn about...