New book explores Wellcome's collection

16 September 2009

A new book about Sir Henry Wellcome’s collection has just hit the shelves. An Infinity of Things: How Sir Henry Wellcome collected the world (Oxford University Press, £18.99) draws on hundreds of documents from the Wellcome Library archives to shed light on the remarkable world of competitive collecting that Wellcome mastered.

Author Frances Larson investigates the history of the collection, from Wellcome's earliest recorded purchases as a boy to his death in 1936 - by which time his collection had become a major enterprise.

The book charts his relationships with his growing team of collecting agents, who travelled through Europe, Asia and beyond, acquiring objects during the opening decades of the 20th century. It also analyses the displays at the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, which opened in 1913.

We have two copies of the book to give away. For a chance to win one, tell us the address of the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum. Email your answer (one entry only per person) to wellcome.news@wellcome.ac.uk using the subject line 'Henry competition'.

Image: An Infinity of Things. Credit: Wellcome Images

Competition closes 17.00 GMT, 13 November 2009, after which two correct entries will be randomly selected. Winners will be notified by email by 20 November 2009 and announced in a future issue of Wellcome News.