essay about collecting things

Collecting: An Urge That’s Hard to Resist

Scientists are finally beginning to understand why and how we collect..

Posted October 29, 2020 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

Around 33 to 40 percent of the American population collects one thing or another. Yet little is known about the mysterious factors that motivate these often-passionate individuals to collect.

As a collector myself, and a physician board-certified in neurology and psychiatry trained to ask questions, I wondered too. This curiosity led me into a journey of exploration that guided me to answers which helped explain not only my behavior but also that of others.

My research led me to believe that not only can there be an instigating factor or factors for collectors to collect at all, or, in a particular area. There also are reinforcing contributors that make the activity worthwhile and pleasurable for which we now know the scientific basis. For example, the rarity of a piece can not only make it valuable, but it can also stimulate certain parts of the brain that register this uniqueness. The scientific research relating to this phenomenon is called the Oddball experiment. It registers activity in the brain using a functional magnetic resonance machine when the participant sees a string of ordinary objects punctuated by the extraordinary. Specific areas of their brains light up when the unusual are presented. This may be why we seek the unique when we collect. It stimulates our brains in areas that connect to our pleasure center. This may also have an evolutionary benefit. We explore the new until we determine whether it is a benefit to us or not.

Another contributing motive for some collectors is pride in acquiring exquisite objects. This is heightened by gathering like items together for the first time. During the search, excitement is further sharpened by identifying a rare piece that sets us apart from our peers and may provide recognition and admiration by associates.

Other collectors, aside from the rareness of the piece, want to acquire it at a modest price. That is their joy and gives them pride in being so astute. It’s the possession for comparatively little money that excites them.

Then, there are collectors who feel a sense of history when they assemble precious items. By owning antiquities, they feel closer to the past or perhaps even dead ancestors, important people, or circumstances of long ago. This is the reverse of feeling a sense of history in looking toward the future. This collector may hope to build a legacy by passing on special objects to future generations.

Other collectors find that the collecting process provides intellectual satisfaction. The gathering of pieces in a specific area requires discipline, knowledge, and an eye for the unusual or particularly beautiful. This is the case for me, I believe, because I have always been academically minded, which is why I chose to go to medical school and then into what is known as a rigorous discipline, neurology.

Collectors also gather what they consider treasures to enhance their network of friends; in other words, they have a social motivation for collecting. Perhaps their love of objects came first; then, somewhere along the line, they realize there are people like themselves. They may find them independently or join organizations for like-minded people. Friendships forged through these vehicles no doubt expand social lives.

The enjoyment of arranging and rearranging a collection can be the motivation for other collectors. Though this may serve as a means of control, it could also simply be the demonstration of organizational skills applied to collecting as taste and knowledge accumulate.

Last, and certainly not least, is that all reinforcers to collect involve anticipation. In its nascent stage, yet fulfilled, the collector’s craving allows her to imagine anything she wants about the desired returns the object will bring. We know that it is in this phase that the pleasure center burns most brightly. Once the prize is obtained, the pleasure center quiets. In other words, the anticipation of the reward is more exciting to our pleasure center than possessing it. This explains, in part, why collecting frequently transcends a mere pastime and often becomes a passion. It gives sufficient pleasure that the participant wants to continue it more and more vigorously.

Shirley M. Mueller, M.D., is a neuroscientist board certified in neurology and psychiatry. She is also an avid collector. Combining these two disciplines, she wrote Inside the Head of a Collector: Neuropsychological Forces at Play.

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Itamar Simonson: What Makes People Collect Things?

A marketing professor explores the world of collectibles and consumer motivation.

April 01, 2015

Consumers “want to pursue and achieve a purpose.” | Reuters/Cheryl Ravelo

Everyone knows someone who collects things — whether it’s refrigerator magnets or political bumper stickers. But what marks the turning point at which someone goes from owning items to building a collection of them? Research by Itamar Simonson found that it all starts with two: People are more likely to build a collection of something once they possess two of them.

The study, which Simonson, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, conducted with Leilei Gao of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Drexel University’s Yanliu Huang, challenges long-standing assumptions of what drives consumers to collect. Past research suggested that consumers collect things because they like certain traits, or because they own one of an item and like it enough to buy more. But the researchers found that consumers don’t always make such purposeful and deliberate decisions to start building a collection. Rather, they might do so because they own a couple of the items and feel uneasy about it because they associate it with waste or duplication.

“With one item only, there’s no redundancy, and the thought of collections as a goal does not arise,” says Simonson. Besides, that one item could be a particular favorite and so makes the consumer happy. That all makes owning one “easy to justify,” he says.

Quote People are more likely to build a collection of something once they possess two of them.

But two? That smattering of items is too large to be thrown out but too small to be a genuine collection that brings pride or satisfaction. And from a practical perspective, owning two of anything is “difficult to justify,” according to Simonson. This prompts consumers to remedy the situation by buying more of the product in question. This is the “tipping point,” where purchasers are more likely to buy more to build an actual collection, he says. “We think that consumers don’t like to see things that are wasted, especially when this redundancy is not easily justified,” says Simonson. “They want to pursue and achieve a purpose, such as building a collection.”

The research is particularly relevant to companies that sell collectibles or run collection-based loyalty programs. It also sheds light on consumers’ motivations, suggesting that they like to justify not only what items they own but also how many they have.

In one experiment involving collectible pins, participants possessing two of a collectible line saw the set as “neither here nor there.” They described their feelings with statements such as, “I feel unsatisfied as the collection is incomplete,” “I feel uncomfortable as my position is kind of in the middle of something,” and “The current possession seems less valuable to me if I cannot get more pins.”

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, the researchers gave 93 students in Hong Kong collectible boxes of mints depicting FIFA soccer teams. Participants received either one or two boxes of mints, and were told that the mint boxes were part of a collectible series. The students were then asked to choose another FIFA mint box or a ballpoint pen of equivalent value. Those who had one box of mints were no more likely to select another box than those in the control group, who received regular, non-collectible boxes of mints. But participants with two collectible boxes were more likely to select a third box than those with one collectible box or just a regular box.

Similarly, in another experiment, 169 students from Hong Kong were more likely to choose a refrigerator magnet over a pen if they had been told that they already had two or three magnets. Those who had only one magnet were no more likely than those with none to choose another magnet.

Results were different for more valuable items, however. The researchers showed each of 337 participants photographs of Coke cans, some deemed collectible and others simply regular cans. Some participants were told that the collectible cans were designed years ago, available for only a limited time, and therefore rare. The rest were told that the collectibles were newly designed and easily purchased.

The researchers found that among those who believed the collectible cans were easily obtainable, those shown two collectibles were more likely to want another than those shown one or no collectible cans. But those who believed the collectible cans were rare were more likely to want another even if they were shown just one can. This suggests that if consumers believe something is rare or valuable, owning even one is enough to make them want more.

But for most collectibles, which aren’t particularly valuable, marketers would be wise to find ways to place at least two in the customer’s hand early on, the researchers note. They could sell or give away two items at a time at the start of a campaign, or discount the second one. And rather than urge customers right away to “build a collection” or “collect all 12,” marketers could encourage them to acquire “the first few” and promote the notion of a large collection later. “McDonald’s may indeed want to include two items, which may trigger a collection and many more Happy Meal sales,” says Simonson.

Itamar Simonson is the Sebastian S. Kresge Professor of Marketing at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “The Influence of Initial Possession Level on Consumers’ Adoption of a Collection Goal: A Tipping Point Effect,” was published in November in the Journal of Marketing.

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What makes some words more memorable than others, to make influencers seem more authentic, just add #friends, class takeaways — the fundamentals of effective selling, editor’s picks.

The Influence of Initial Possession Level on Consumers' Adoption of a Collection Goal: A Tipping Point Effect Leilei Gao Yanliu Huang Itamar Simonson

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Why do we collect things?

By Barbara Gutierrez [email protected] 09-03-2021

It is one of our basic human instincts. We like to collect things. 

Baseball caps, coins, stones, posters, movies, seashells, toys, art, manuscripts, stamps, and coffee mugs are among the many collectible items. You name it. We collect it.

Archeologists have found that as early as 105,000 years ago, humans collected crystals in the Kalahari region of southern Africa. They knew the crystals were brought there by humans because they did not exist naturally near the area where they were found, according to Forbes magazine.

“We know our lives are inextricably entangled with things and the earliest archeological records show that ownership of objects is a universal phenomenon that has existed across time, cultures and people,” said Kiara Timpano, professor of psychology in the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences. 

The reasons for collecting are numerous. Some do it for pleasure; others to learn more about the objects; others seek status or prestige; and many do it to show loyalty to their team, country, or hometown.  

Some just get attracted to a genre and form a habit. Carol Reynolds-Srot is the university editor for University Communications. She has not met a Snoopy she has not liked.

Her interest in the happy-go-lucky beagle—a well-known member of the Peanuts comic strip gang—began back in college. Her collection is now in the high hundreds. Snoopy paraphernalia can be found in her office, home, and car. His image also graces four watches, socks, tons of T-shirts, and a lot more.

“I remember looking at something with Snoopy and it just cheered me up,” she said. “I am an avid dog lover and Snoopy was a cartoon dog. I am also a Type A personality. And he is laid back, cool, and kind of goes with the flow. He is everything I am not, but I want to be.”

In addition to the pleasant feeling people get from collectibles, many accumulate items because the objects represent something that they value or serve as a way to connect with others, Timpano said.

Noah Lapaix, a sophomore studying psychology and sociology, began collecting vinyl records last year. He now values the experience in a completely different way than listening to music on Spotify or Apple Music. He admits that collecting vinyl can be pricey, but for him it is worth it.

“When I bought my first record player and my first vinyl, it was a special moment for me,” he said. “It was a physical representation of something. Everything surrounding the record is often more important than the actual sound.”

He carefully examines each cover, reads everything on the album including all the credits, and delights in looking at the posters that accompany the album.

Lapaix’s collection includes nine of rapper Kanye West’s 10 studio albums, excluding his most recent release, as well as others by Tyler the Creator and R&B singer Frank Ocean. He plans to keep adding to his collection.

Research shows that in the 19th century, aristocratic collectors coveted rarities—such as fossils, illuminated books, and other objects—and displayed them, then later donated the items to museums. For the aristocrats, it was a way to show off their good taste and status in society.

Professional collectors continue to do that, of course, said Cristina Favretto, head of special collections of University Libraries.

“Many wealthy people collect as an investment,” she said. “They know the value of the objects and they know that the fact that they are collecting them often drives the prices up. If you know that a famous collector is collecting a specific artist, the ‘cache’ and visibility of that artist will go up.”

Many museums and special collections that we enjoy today come from wealthy families. The powerful Medici family was a banking family in Florence whose members collected art and sponsored artists in the 1500s. Their extraordinary art collection is housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. 

The University benefitted from a wonderful donation, the Jay I. Kislak Collection of the Early Americas, Exploration, and Navigation—a collection of books, manuscripts, and artifacts from the early Americas, that is housed in the Kislak Center at the University of Miami.

“We are so thankful to all our donors like Jay Kislak, but we also get donations from students and community members,” said Favretto.  

Donors should not underestimate the merit of any collection. While a collection may not have a high financial worth, it can offer a treasure trove of history. She cites a collection donated to the University Libraries of local menus from Miami restaurants, which can be of great value to anyone studying the food and entertainment industry in Miami.   

“Restaurants come and go but through this collection you can look at what used to be offered, the different prices and so on,” she said. “The wonderful thing about collecting is that anyone can do it.”

Visit https://www.library.miami.edu/specialcollections/ to explore the University Libraries’ Special Collections online.  

The Lowe Art Museum on the Coral Gables Campus is open Thursday—Saturday. Visit https://www.lowe.miami.edu/exhibitions/current---upcoming/index.html for information about current exhibitions. Admission is free through May 31, 2022, but admission tickets must be reserved in advance.

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Collecting Things: The Psychology of Accumulation, from Museums to Hoarders

• First Online: 07 March 2023

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• Cyrus Mulready 2  

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Students will describe and analyze a collection of objects, seeking the ways in which objects come to be redefined by the act of collecting and curating, through the methods of individual and institutional collectors, and by viewers of collections, who bring their own acts of interpretation to bear upon these assemblies of objects.

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Mulready, C. (2023). Collecting Things: The Psychology of Accumulation, from Museums to Hoarders. In: Object Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09027-1_5

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Why Do We Love To Collect Things?

February 10, 2020

I’ve never met a teapot that I didn’t like. And that’s almost it right there. We collect things for fun and enjoyment. We also collect things because it strikes a sentimental cord; it reflects our interests and style. The bonus is that we learn a lot about history and the economy over the decades.

I’m not talking about clutter. (That can happen too.) It’s more about a hobby that we’re passionate about. Stamps, coins, buttons, postcards, cookie jars, dolls, and shoe collections, some we display, and some we love to brag about.

If you have a collection that tells a story, reminds you of a moment, and makes you feel good then it’s a keeper. It’s one of those things that make you happy.

Why Do We Collect Things?

Although it may sometimes seem as if we have a genetic predilection to collecting things, it is actually a basic human instinct. Our need to collect things is a survival advantage enhanced by natural selection over the centuries. Ancient ancestors who were able to gather scarce objects were more likely to live longer. Meaning you’re not alone when it comes to your love of collecting items. Even in our modern age, the accumulation of wealth and assets correlates to longer life expectancy. But besides this instinctive trait, there are numerous other reasons why we may feel the need to collect:

Knowledge & Learning

If you have an innate curiosity, then collecting certain items is a way for you to learn more about history or just the things that fascinate you. Collecting specific items mean learning all about them, their history, and their uses, and of course their value.

As an avid collector, you may actually take great pleasure in the act of searching for items to add to your collection. Or you may love displaying your collection and the sight of it brings you great peace. Collecting things can be a stress buster, mood booster, and relaxing activity for many people.

Personal Pleasure

Cultivating a collection can be a deeply satisfying endeavor. Because of this, you may get personal pleasure from collecting items. This includes an appreciation of beautiful or unique things and taking great pride in the ownership of your collection.

The Social Aspect

Having a collection or being a collector is a hobby and one which can include plenty of social interaction. You may enjoy meeting with fellow collectors or receiving recognition from them or other people in your social circle. In this way, you get to share the pleasure of pretty things and knowledge that you’ve gained.

Competitive Challenge

Starting a collection is rather easy, but completing that collection can be a challenge. This can actually take years to achieve which means that it is an activity that appeals to competitive people. If you’re competitive then the process of completing your collection before another collector does or beating them out to find certain items may be a challenge that you relish.

Memorabilia & Nostalgia

This is probably one of the most common reasons why people collect. If you have an interest or love for a certain time in history, musical artist, TV show, or book, then it’s likely that you’ll want to collect some or all of the memorabilia. Nostalgia for things from your past or your youth can also be motivation for you to collect items that remind you of that time.

Things That We Collect

There is no limit to what you can collect and there definitely are some strange collections out there. Although collections come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and values there are some that are more common than others. The following items are the most popular things that people like to collect:

• Coins or paper money collections
• Movie or movie poster collections
• Video game collections
• Hardcover and paperback book collections
• Stamp collections
• Rock , gemstone , or crystal collections
• Doll or toy collections
• Shoe or handbag collections
• Baskets and organizing item collections

There are plenty of other items that can be added to this list, but then it would go on forever. You get the gist – people love and treasure a variety of different items. Many of these collections can actually be quite valuable, but I believe the value for most people and their collections is subjective and based on their reasons for collecting. Whether it has monetary value or just sentimental value, people take their collections seriously.

What’s the Difference between a Collection & Collecting Stuff?

Being a collector is a wonderfully healthy outlet and activity that allows you to connect with the world and others. But how do you know if your love for collecting has become a problem – or worse, hoarding?

That’s simple.

If your collection doesn’t negatively impact you or those living with you in any way, then it is merely a passionate hobby that you should continue to pursue.

If your collecting habits stop you or others from being able to use certain rooms in your home, then you may have a problem.

A collector has a passion for gathering a very specific set of items. This is more of a side interest than something that takes over your whole life. As a collector, you will carefully organize and proudly display your collection for others to see. Plus, your collection will allow you to create social communities with others who have similar passions.

On the other hand, if you are just collecting items for the sake of collecting stuff, then you won’t have a focus on specific items. Rather, you will acquire a wide range of random things and your collection will have no order or structure to it. In this case, the collection won’t be well displayed, but the collected items will result in clutter.

When Collections Become Clutter

So, at what point does a collection become clutter?

To determine whether your collection is actually clutter in disguise , ask yourself these important questions (be honest with yourself):

• Are the items taking up space that can be put to better use?
• Are they gathering dust or do you take care to clean and display them?
• At what number do you plan to stop collecting (do you have a limit)?
• Are these items you truly love and feel passionate about?
• Are you keeping them because they have monetary value or sentimental value?

Once you’ve answered these questions truthfully, you’ll have a better idea of your reasons for collecting the items. But remember, if the items get in your way or impede your life in any way, then it’s time to sell, recycle or give it away.

How to Organize Your Collection

Now that you’ve determined that you’re a true collector, it may be time to ensure that your beloved collection doesn’t become cluttered over time. After all the items you’ve acquired are prized possessions and need to be treated as such. Luckily, as a collecting culture, we’ve come up with plenty of genius storage and display solutions . But first, you need to get yourself organized. My advice is to always keep your goal in mind and to follow the steps below to avoid overwhelm. Before you know it, you and your guests will be able to easily admire your treasured collection.

• Have a plan and a vision in mind for how you want your collection displayed ( lined up on a shelf or protected in a display box , etc).
• Categorize your collection to be able to organize it accordingly (e.g. different genres for record or CD collections).
• Invest in necessary and practical accessories to display your collection such as shelving or glass cabinets (you can even get creative and DIY your storage accessories if you want).
• Track your collection or keep a record of it by creating a database or spreadsheet that you can easily reference (this prevents the acquisition of duplicates and is pretty handy for insurance purposes).
• Don’t be afraid to mix and match the display and presentation if you have two complementary collections (allow your passion and personality to shine through in the way you show off your collection).

Collecting Experiences Instead of Things

You don’t need to be anti-possessions or even a minimalist to realize that as a society we collect way too much stuff. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with surrounding yourself with functional (or beautiful) things that bring you joy. But sometimes those things (even carefully curated collections) can hold you back. This desire to own or have more is a human trait, though and something everyone struggles with at some point or another. But what if there was another way to collect things without it ending up as a mountain of clutter?

Well, there is!

It’s called experiences and memories.

Love people, not things and collect moments, not stuff.

This is the simplest way for a collector at heart to keep collecting without the need to actually possess more. By the way, choosing to collect experiences instead of physical items gives you true freedom as well. So, why not expand your horizons and quests with adventures? Perhaps create a life with fewer things and more human connection. Maybe even the experience of a lifetime!

What do you collect?

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Comments 18

I’m not much of a collector, but my father started collecting corkscrews years ago. His hobby has been so much fun for all of us. I think he has more than 500 today, and he inventories each one, numbers it, and adds it to a three-panel wall display. I love the way his collecting has unfolded. We have fun hunting new ones, joy that we can give him a gift he will really enjoy, and sheer entertainment when we stand before the display and talk about them all!

Seana, That sounds so lovely. I never knew there were so many corkscrews to be collected. I can see where you get your organizing skills from. What a fun family experience!

I’ve been collecting postcards since I was in high school – or maybe even longer. My collection includes mementos of places I’ve been (local and otherwise), cards that were sent to me or brought back for me by friends and family members, antique postcards of places I’m familiar with, advertising (old and new), and probably some that don’t fit into any category. I have most of them organized by place / ads / greetings (apparently people used to send postcards for birthdays and holidays). I like my collection but I honestly can’t remember the last time I actually looked at it.

Janet, Your postcard collection obviously has sentimental value. Sometimes it’s just comforting knowing that it’s there. I’ve kept birthday cards for years. I like to go back and read the notes from people over time. Especially from people who are no longer here. Heartfelt !

Both my husband and I are collectors- he collects large things like old enamel signs (think Coke buttons and Mobil Pegasus) while I prefer small items like miniature objects, Pez dispensers, sparkly things, and cobalt blue glass. We collect other things too, but those are just some of them. We have slowed down at this point and enjoy what we have and rarely add more. The collections have space to be displayed and enjoyed.

The collections are integrated into our space. Our home is small, yet it doesn’t feel cluttered.

You and your husband have so many common interests! I’d love to see a picture of the cobalt blue glass that you collect. It’s one of my favorite colors and I really enjoy the different shapes of glass.

This is all very compelling. I agree about all of the reasons you identified for people to collect, and I also think that people find that having a collection helps you build a personal brand (not that people would identify it that way). For some people, having an easily-summarized identity that they and others can express with comfort can stand in for holding opinions or taking stands that might otherwise cause friction. Collecting may also be relaxing, help you acquire knowledge, and so on, but just being able to say, “I’m a butterfly collector” or “I collect rare postage stamps” gives people a badge that helps them get out in the world.

I’m a non-collector of tangible items. I don’t think there’s anything I like enough to want multiples (unless Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups count) but I do love collecting experiences, whether it’s books read or countries visited.

Thank you for giving us so much to think about!

Hi Julie! Thank you for such a well thought-out comment. It makes so much sense. Like you, I’m not a true collector of anything in particular. Though I do collect and save birthday and special occasion cards. I’m not sure that counts. But I do love them! Collecting experiences is what I enjoy. That’s why I love to celebrate milestones or anything that brings a personal gathering. Thank you so much again!

I believe, it all comes from our preferences. We are all different, that’s why, different things appeal our attention. Thus, there are so many of different and unusual collections around the world.

Very well said. Do you have a collection?

I love your article — so many of your points describe me explicitly (especially about the hunting & acquiring of items). My problem is that I like too many things — my collections cover miniature tea sets (I have 400 of them); miniature pianos (166); Russian dolls (80 unstacked); miniature angels; stamps; 20 big scrapbooks of cards that people gave me over past 50 years; Precious Moments figurines; porcelain mice; miniature hats; miniature food; photos of my travels = 70 albums & 55 scrapbooks, etc.). All are neatly displayed in 8 curio cabinets. During this virus, since I’ve had to stay home longer, I’ve enjoyed viewing and cleaning/re-organizing my various collections. Thank-you for making other people understand about collecting, and that we’re not crazy people. Regards, Jean. PS: Too bad I can’t send you some photos of my beautiful collections.

I’m so glad my article on clutter was helpful. It’s a topic that plagues so many people.

You have lots of collections but they sound wonderful. As long as they’re not taking over the home or another family member’s space, AND YOU ENJOY THEM!!

Keep up the good work, you’re off to such a great start!

Can you copy and paste some of the pictures to the comments section?

Best, Ronni

Hi Ronnie….thanks for your comments. Unfortunately your system doesn’t allow me to copy & paste any photos. I tried but it doesn’t work. Best regards, Jean.

If you are referring to copying and pasting the material from my blog then no, it’s not enabled. I’m happy to answer any questions that you might have on any of the topics.

Hi Ronni….further to my email dd Aug. 26/20, today this article on one of my collections was published on their website. Hope you can access it: http://www.blogTO.com/eat_drink/2021/02/woman-toronto-450-teapot-sets-condo

Thank you for getting back in touch. Unfortunately, I’m not able to access the link and I’d love to see the tea pot sets!

Dear Ms. Eisenberg,

I am in the middle of writing a book on collecting and displaying rocks and minerals. I was impressed with your post on collecting stuff and would like to credit your ideas in my book. You have a lot of books on Amazon and I am not sure which one to purchase. Are you able to suggest one that I can reference in my book? Thanks, Larry

Thank you for getting in touch and this wonderful opportunity. I would very much like you to credit my blog, The Organizing Confessions. The information is current and covers a myriad of subjects that you may find helpful and interesting.

Feel free to get in touch with me at [email protected] .

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Questlove: Collecting Is an Act of Devotion, and Creation

Credit... Photographs by Jeffrey Henson Scales & Rebecca Pietri

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By Ahmir Questlove Thompson

Mr. Thompson is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, drummer, D.J., producer, director, culinary entrepreneur and member of the Roots.

• March 25, 2022

I have been collecting things for as long as I can remember. As a very young child, when I listened to music, read interviews or watched movies, they lingered in my memory, and I didn’t want them to leave me. Eventually, I got to thinking about the physical objects that brought me those experiences — vinyl records, print magazines. Collecting those items became a way to prevent the past from slipping away.

A collection starts as a protest against the passage of time and ends as a celebration of it. My collection sprang up like seeds in a flower bed, and I can only guess at the first seeds based on the flowers I see now. Over time it has grown to include bins of magazines, including near-complete sets of Ebony and Rolling Stone.

I have shelves and shelves of albums, eight-tracks and cassette tapes. The music they contain — from official studio releases to outtakes, bootlegs to live shows — matters to me. The formats themselves stir memories. But it’s the personal artifacts associated with artists who have shaped my own life and work that are the most meaningful to me.

Many are connected to Prince: I have a pair of gold-framed mirrored sunglasses that were the backup for those the star used in the iconic 1984 film “Purple Rain,” and the scarf he wore during the Controversy tour. I have a fan letter that Bono, the lead singer of the band U2, wrote to Prince when “The Joshua Tree” album beat out “Sign o’ the Times” for the Grammys’ album of the year in 1988. I also own items from Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, James Brown, Stevie Wonder and Biggie, among others.

While music is the heart of my collection, all pop culture is fair game, from toys to books to visual art to jerseys to sneakers. All told, there are more than 200,000 records and thousands of other artifacts, including at least 500 that I would consider top-tier specimens.

Along the way, the objects went from being the possessions of a collector to a collection. If you listened closely, you could hear them saying: “We are history.” What did they mean by that? Well, when there are enough things, organized with some sense of chronology, they tell a story about the past. They tell us why the past matters.

When our lives turned inward as the pandemic began in March 2020, my mind turned toward the past. It felt as if the natural place to go because the future was unclear at best and the present painful. I live-streamed D.J. sets that paid tribute to music icons who had died recently, and sets of self-care slow jams from my collections. I was trying to help people cope by reminding them of the way they used to feel. During this time I also reconnected with many of the objects in my collection. They gave off sparks of comfort.

As the present felt increasingly endless, my relationship to the past evolved. The D.J. sets became historical in a different sense. The songs I selected evoked not just a feeling, but also the center of a network of ideas, references and questions — a sonic exhibit. I drilled down into my own past when I was asked to go back and work on liner notes for rereleases of Roots records.

Hip-hop has always been historically minded, even curatorial, in the way that it uses samples. Pieces of songs are collected and organized so the past serves the present while still standing up for itself. In this spirit, I sought to understand an object’s significance in its original context as well as the pleasure that it could still produce.

My more recent projects explored how objects on a shelf become subjects in their own right — the way that the collector’s impulse becomes a connecting pulse. In the book “Music Is History,” I looked back across the years I have spent on earth, magnifying an idea from each year, connecting it to a song that represents that idea. And “Summer of Soul,” the documentary I directed, is itself a kind of collector’s item, featuring found footage of the Harlem Cultural Festival, a 1969 concert that featured artists like Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and Sly & the Family Stone.

The process of directing “Summer of Soul” was considerably more nuanced and intense than organizing a collection, but arranging and commenting upon these long-forgotten scenes required me to ask some of the same questions. What should be displayed prominently? What reflects the main idea most vividly? What’s the best way to make sure that things are not just seen but understood, not just possessed but inhabited?

There’s a personal question that I ask all the time, too: Am I only the sum of all the things that I have collected? And if so, shouldn’t I declare it proudly?

These projects reminded me that legacy matters, and that mine is largely about illuminating the legacy of the culture that made me. It gives me hope for a future with the confidence to hold the past — to protect it and preserve it, to explain it and elevate it, to keep its light shining brightly even as it drifts out into the sea of time.

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, drummer, D.J., producer, director, culinary entrepreneur and member of the Roots. He is the musical director for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and the author, most recently, of the book “Music Is History.”

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Why do we collect things? Love, anxiety or desire

The many and varied psychological motivations for collecting are uniquely human

• Sophie Ellis-Bextor on her burgeoning doll collection
• Hunter Davies explains how to be a collector
• Coins, knives, music or mags: four celebrity obsessives

About a third of people in the UK collect something. Their reasons and manner vary hugely. For some, like the football fan who collects club memorabilia, it is a way to express loyalty; for others, like the stamp collector proud of rare finds, there can be an obsessive streak.

One psychoanalytical explanation for collecting is that unloved children learn to seek comfort in accumulating belongings; another is that collecting is motivated by existential anxieties – the collection, an extension of our identity, lives on, even though we do not. More recently, evolutionary theorists suggested that a collection was a way for a man to attract potential mates by signalling his ability to accumulate resources.

There is also a phenomenon known as the endowment effect, which describes our tendency to value things more once we own them. Another is the concept of contagion – some collectors are attracted to celebrity belongings because these objects are seen as being infused with the essence of the person who owned them.

Humans are unique in the way we collect items purely for the satisfaction of seeking and owning them. The desire to collect only became possible about 12,000 years ago, once our ancestors gave up their nomadic lifestyles and settled down in one location.

Christian Jarrett is a psychologist and the author of The Rough Guide to Psychology

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Why Do People Collect Things? 9 Common Reasons

Megan's contributed both writing and research to a myriad of associations including academic publications, cultural institutions, non-fiction works, and experimental collaborative projects.

Learn about our Editorial Policy .

Why do people collect things? Every collection of objects has a unique story, and each individual collector has a distinctly personal reason for what brought them to their hobby. Although not all of these reasons are conscious, it's undeniable that humans like to gather stuff into piles, and they often enjoy putting those piles on display. Find out which breed of collector you are and which ones are your top reasons for catching the collecting bug.

Nine Common Reasons Why People Collect Things

Typically, individuals collect things for more than one reason, finding their love of bringing stuff home mixed up in an indiscernible jumble of thoughts and feelings that-when asked to vocalize-almost always turns into the phrase "I don't know, I just liked it." While that may be true, underneath that sentiment are some serious motivations and psychological reasons for why people collect the things that they do. Discover nine of the common reasons why people collect things.

• 12 Rarest and Most Valuable Funko Pops Worth Money

1. Sentimental Attachments

Almost everyone has a small collection of personal memorabilia that has familial and emotional meaning. These sentimental collections of old family photos, greeting cards from friends, family, or lovers, flower petals from meaningful bouquets, strips of ribbon from gift wrappings, seashells, and other small reminders can bring back happy memories of lost people and past times. Although these fragments aren't usually purchased, that doesn't mean they aren't purposefully and carefully curated.

2. To Connect to Their Childhood

Others have collections of stuff from their youth, such as sports cards, comic books , dolls, teddy bears, matchbox cars , and other things that they loved as a kid. In the same way that family photos can help you relive your favorite moments with your loved ones, childhood mementos offer up the chance to connect to that special time in your life.

3. To Gain More Knowledge and Learn About Something New

A fundamental aspect of professional collecting (such as the practices in archival work) is learning from the objects in a collection. Each independent item can tell a story about the person who collected it, the period it was purchased in, what it meant to the original owner by how well it was taken care of, and so much more. You don't have to be a collegiate educated collector to be able to pursue knowledge through the items you find.

Every observation is a useful one, and even the most minute detail that an object can unlock for a collector is worthwhile. Take, for instance, this seemingly innocuous South Carolina airport register from the turn of the century. An item that many people might gloss over actually reveals a wealth of information about the number of female pilots circling the skies at a time of male dominated air travel. And, a slightly water damaged cherry on top is a famous signature of a female pilot you might have heard of - Amelia Earhart.

4. To Connect With the Past

Often, collectors are fascinated with history as most collectible objects come from the near or distant past. People with a passion can collect all kinds of historical memorabilia such as historical documents and ephemera and autographed letters, all of which connect them to past events, heroes and heroines, villains, and ordinary people of the past.

In fact, it's this drive to connect with and understand the people of the past that inspires many to pursue collecting in a professional capacity. From running an antiques store to learning how to become an appraiser, the chance to expand your knowledge increases with every new object you come into contact with.

5. Pleasure and Enjoyment

Some collect for pure enjoyment and because the act of collecting is fun. They might collect art because they appreciate beauty. Others may collect wine, music boxes, DVDs, music albums, or other music memorabilia such as posters, photographs, and concert tickets because they're musically minded. Funko Pop collecting is fun for people passionate about pop culture. Finding these things can give a collector real personal pleasure and enjoyment, and there's actually a scientific explanation for why this might be. Explored in a series of experiments with young children, the Oddball paradigm describes a phenomenon where people's brains respond to unusual or unique stimuli. Essentially, things that happen out of the expected or out of the norm fall into this pattern, and finding fun and unusual collectibles can trigger this chemical response. Therein, collecting can actually be considered in some way a biological imperative.

6. To Make a Future Investment

Many individuals think of collecting as an investment, and they purposefully collect rare and vintage items like antiques, stamps, coins, toys, rare Funko Pops , and even rare whiskies with the hopes that all of their stuff will accumulate value overtime. While this isn't the case for most collectibles, pieces of fine art with autographed signatures, and one-of-a-kind items can all appreciate in value over time. For example, Andy Warhol's famous 1962 Pop Art painting "Four Marilyns" was sold in 1992 for $955,433 (adjusted to $1.6 million in 2015 inflation) and then in 2015 for $36 million.

7. The Community It Creates

Regardless of why they started collecting, many people continue collecting because they enjoy the social interaction of flea markets , swap meets, and auctions. Additionally, the internet age has allowed collecting communities and societies to expand beyond their regional limitations and reach fellow collectors across continents and oceans.

After all, everyone just wants to feel like they belong, and collecting can open a gateway for certain people to find the right community to make them feel like they belong. According to Roy Baumeister , a psychologist, "meaningfulness comes from contributing to other people, whereas happiness comes from what they contribute to you." Thus, collecting touches something beyond the act itself and can bring real social benefits to the people involved.

8. Recognition and Prestige

There are also collectors who want recognition and prestige for putting together the best and most valuable collection of a particular thing. Many of these collections are ultimately donated to museums or learning institutions and prominently give thanks to the collector - a practice that's been going for hundreds of years.

For example, Sir John Soane was an English architect and collector of classical antiquities who's better known for his massive collection than he is for the impressive architectural works his firm created. In fact, he left his home-turned-museum to the British people, where it's still open today.

9. The Thrill of the Hunt

Although most collectors began their collections for another reason, many people soon find that the joy and excitement of finding a new treasure for their collection becomes their primary reason for collecting. Just look at the highly successful History Channel's television series American Pickers , which follows a group of antique dealers on their journey to discovering hidden treasures around the American heartland, and you can see just how captivating the treasure hunt can be.

Can Collecting Be a Mental Disorder?

You needn't worry, collecting is a healthy and ordinary human activity. Not only is it not helpful to interpret collecting through the filter of a mental disorder, as a collection is most often just a collection, but it's also dangerous to reduce mental health conditions to a singular characteristic as well as to do any self-diagnosing. However, it's true that some people may go overboard in collecting and blur the line between collecting and hoarding. Hoarding is often described as an obsessive-compulsive behavior, and most collectors don't struggle with the same obsessive and compulsive habits that contribute to hoarding that hoarders do. In short, collectors pick and choose what they collect and have control over their behavior; hoarders do not.

What Do You Call People Who Collect Things?

Often, a person who collects something is normally referred to as "a coin collector ," "a doll collector ," and so forth. However, there are a few names that are used to describe specific types of collectors:

• Philatelist - People who collect stamps.
• Numismatist - People who collect coins and banknotes.
• Lepidopterist - People who collect butterflies and moths.
• Coleopterist - People who collect beetles.
• Dipterist - People who collect flies.
• Oologist - People who collect bird eggs.
• Deltiologist - People who collect valuable old postcards .
• Notaphilist - People who collect banknotes.
• Tegestologist - People who collect beer mats (coasters).
• Phillumenist - People who collect matchboxes or matchbooks.
• Scripophilist - People who collect bonds and share certificates.
• Vexillologist - People who collect flags.
• Brandophilist - People who collect cigar wrappers.
• Discophile - People who collect vinyl or phonograph records.

Collect the Things You Love

Collectors invest a great energy, time, and sometimes money into their collections. But in return for their investment, most people derive genuine pleasure and joy from amassing things that interest them and displaying their collections for everyone to see. So, no matter why you collect the things that you do, continue to do so with the special kind of zeal that only collectors can seem to harness.

Stephen Leacock

On collecting things.

Like most other men I have from time to time been stricken with a desire to make collections of things.

It began with postage stamps. I had a letter from a friend of mine who had gone out to South Africa. The letter had a three-cornered stamp on it, and I thought as soon as I looked at it, “That’s the thing! Stamp collecting! I’ll devote my life to it.”

I bought an album with accommodation for the stamps of all nations, and began collecting right off. For three days the collection made wonderful progress. It contained:

One Cape of Good Hope stamp.

One one-cent stamp, United States of America.

One two-cent stamp, United States of America.

One five-cent stamp, United States of America.

One ten-cent stamp, United States of America.

After that the collection came to a dead stop. For a while I used to talk about it rather airily and say I had one or two rather valuable South African stamps. But I presently grew tired even of lying about it.

Collecting coins is a thing that I attempt at intervals. Every time I am given an old half-penny or a Mexican quarter, I get an idea that if a fellow made a point of holding on to rarities of that sort, he’d soon have quite a valuable collection. The first time that I tried it I was full of enthusiasm, and before long my collection numbered quite a few articles of vertu. The items were as follows:

No. 1. Ancient Roman coin. Time of Caligula. This one of course was the gem of the whole lot; it was given me by a friend, and that was what started me collecting.

No. 2. Small copper coin. Value one cent. United States of America. Apparently modern.

No. 3. Small nickel coin. Circular. United States of America. Value five cents.

No. 4. Small silver coin. Value ten cents. United States of America.

No. 5. Silver coin. Circular. Value twenty-five cents. United States of America. Very beautiful.

No. 6. Large silver coin. Circular. Inscription, “One Dollar.” United States of America. Very valuable.

No. 7. Ancient British copper coin. Probably time of Caractacus. Very dim. Inscription, “Victoria Dei gratia regina.” Very valuable.

No. 8. Silver coin. Evidently French. Inscription, “Funf Mark. Kaiser Wilhelm.”

No. 9. Circular silver coin. Very much defaced. Part of inscription, “E Pluribus Unum.” Probably a Russian rouble, but quite as likely to be a Japanese yen or a Shanghai rooster. That’s as far as that collection got. It lasted through most of the winter and I was getting quite proud of it, but I took the coins down town one evening to show to a friend and we spent No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, and No. 7 in buying a little dinner for two. After dinner I bought a yen’s worth of cigars and traded the relic of Caligula for as many hot Scotches as they cared to advance on it. After that I felt reckless and put No. 2 and No. 8 into a Children’s Hospital poor box.

I tried fossils next. I got two in ten years. Then I quit.

A friend of mine once showed me a very fine collection of ancient and curious weapons, and for a time I was full of that idea. I gathered several interesting specimens, such as:

No. 1. Old flint-lock musket, used by my grandfather. (He used it on the farm for years as a crowbar.)

No. 2. Old raw-hide strap, used by my father.

No. 3. Ancient Indian arrowhead, found by myself the very day after I began collecting. It resembles a three-cornered stone.

No. 4. Ancient Indian bow, found by myself behind a sawmill on the second day of collecting. It resembles a straight stick of elm or oak. It is interesting to think that this very weapon may have figured in some fierce scene of savage warfare.

No. 5. Cannibal poniard or straight-handled dagger of the South Sea Islands. It will give the reader almost a thrill of horror to learn that this atrocious weapon, which I bought myself on the third day of collecting, was actually exposed in a second-hand store as a family carving-knife. In gazing at it one cannot refrain from conjuring up the awful scenes it must have witnessed.

I kept this collection for quite a long while until, in a moment of infatuation, I presented it to a young lady as a betrothal present. The gift proved too ostentatious and our relations subsequently ceased to be cordial.

On the whole I am inclined to recommend the beginner to confine himself to collecting coins. At present I am myself making a collection of American bills (time of Taft preferred), a pursuit I find most absorbing.

#CanadianWriters

Other works by Stephen Leacock...

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A man called on me the other day with the idea of insuring my life. Now, I detest life-insurance agents; they always argue that I shall some day die, which is not so. I have been insure...

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You might think that borrowing a match upon the street is a simple thing. But any man who has ever tried it will assure you that it is not, and will be prepared to swear to the truth of...

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I mix a good deal with the Millionaires. I like them. I like their faces. I like the way they live. I like the things they eat. The more we mix together the better I like the things we ...

“MY DEAR Young Friend,” said Father Time, as he laid his hand gently upon my shoulder, “you are entirely wrong.” Then I looked up over my shoulder from the table at which I was sitting ...

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The Browns, who lived in the adjoining house, had been dining with the Joneses. Brown and Jones were sitting over wine and walnuts at the table. The others had gone upstairs. “What are ...

I notice that it is customary for the daily papers to publish a column or so of society gossip. They generally head it “Chit-Chat,” or “On Dit,” or “Le Boudoir,” or something of the sor...

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What I narrate was told me one winter’s evening by my friend Ah-Yen in the little room behind his laundry. Ah-Yen is a quiet little celestial with a grave and thoughtful face, and that ...

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They were sitting on a seat of the car, immediately in front of me. I was consequently able to hear all that they were saying. They were evidently strangers who had dropped into a conve...

It is in the depth of winter, when the intense cold renders it desirable to stay at home, that the really Pleasant Family is wont to serve invitations upon a few friends to spend a Quie...

• Collecting Things

Read about collecting things for the  B2 First Reading  Part 7 which is at an upper intermediate level of English which focuses on reading for detail and understanding the main idea.

B2 First Reading Part 7 (Collecting Things)

This text for the B2 First Reading Part 7 describes four people who enjoy collecting things. Read the article, then answer the following questions.

John Hill shares his home with about 200 sewing machines. His passion began when he was searching for bits of second-hand furniture and kept seeing ‘beautiful old sewing machines that were next to nothing to buy’. He couldn’t resist them. Then a friend had a machine that wouldn’t work, so she asked John to look at it for her. At that stage he was not an authority on the subject, but he worked on it for three days and eventually got it going.

Later he opened up a small stand in a London market. ‘Most people seemed uninterested. Then a dealer came and bought everything I’d taken along. I thought, “Great! This is my future life.” But after that I never sold another one there and ended up with a stall in another market which was only moderately successful.’

Nowadays, he concentrates on domestic machines in their original box containers with their handbooks. He is often asked if he does any sewing with them. The answer is that, apart from making sure that they work, he rarely touches them.

As a boy, Will Smith collected hundreds of vintage cameras, mostly from jumble sales and dustbins. Later, when the time came to buy his first house, he had to sell his valuable collection in order to put down a deposit. A few years after, he took up the interest again and now has over a thousand cameras, the earliest dating from 1860.

Now Will ‘just cannot stop collecting’ and hopes to open his own photographic museum where members of the public will be able to touch and fiddle around with the cameras. Whilst acknowledging that the Royal Camera Collection in Bath is probably more extensive than his own, he points out that ‘so few of the items are on show there at the same time that I think my own personal collection will easily rival it.’

Kate Williams is one of the foremost authorities on plastics in Britain. She has, in every corner of her house, a striking collection of plastic objects of every kind, dating from the middle of the last century and illustrating the complex uses of plastic over the years.

Kate’s interest started when she was commissioned to write her first book. In order to do this, she had to start from scratch; so she attended a course on work machinery, maintaining that if she didn’t understand plastics manufacture then nobody else would.  As she gathered the information for her book, she also began to collect pieces of plastic from every imaginable source: junk shops, arcades, and the cupboards of friends. She also collects ‘because it is vital to keep examples. We live in an age of throw-away items: phones, computers, hair dryers – they are all replaced so quickly.’

Kate’s second book, Classic Plastics: from Bakelite to High Tech, is the first published guide to plastics collecting. It describes collections that can be visited and gives simple and safe home tests for identification. She admits that ‘plastic is a mysterious substance and many people are frightened of it. Even so, the band of collectors is constantly expanding.’

Jane Bruce already had twenty years of collecting one thing or another behind her when she started collecting ‘art deco’ fans in the 1990s. It happened when she went to an auction sale and saw a shoe-box filled with them. Someone else got them by offering a higher price and she was very cross.

Later, to her astonishment, he went round to her flat and presented them to her. ‘That was how it all started.’ There were about five fans in the shoe-box and since then they’ve been exhibited in the first really big exhibition of ‘art deco’ in America. The fans are not normally on show, however, but are kept behind glass. They are extremely fragile and people are tempted to handle them. The idea is to have, one day, a black-lacquered room where they can be more easily seen.

Jane doesn’t restrict herself to fans of a particular period, but she will only buy a fan if it is in excellent condition. The same rule applies to everything in her house.

John Hill John Hill shares his home with about 200 sewing machines. His passion began when he was searching for bits of second-hand furniture and kept seeing ‘beautiful old sewing machines that were next to nothing to buy’. He couldn’t resist them. Then a friend had a machine that wouldn’t work, so she asked John to look at it for her. At that stage he was not an authority on the subject, but he worked on it for three days and eventually got it going.

Will Smith As a boy, Will Smith collected hundreds of vintage cameras, mostly from jumble sales and dustbins. Later, when the time came to buy his first house, he had to sell his valuable collection in order to put down a deposit. A few years after, he took up the interest again and now has over a thousand cameras, the earliest dating from 1860.

Kate Williams Kate’s interest started when she was commissioned to write her first book. In order to do this, she had to start from scratch; so she attended a course on work machinery, maintaining that if she didn’t understand plastics manufacture then nobody else would.  As she gathered the information for her book, she also began to collect pieces of plastic from every imaginable source: junk shops, arcades, and the cupboards of friends. She also collects ‘because it is vital to keep examples. We live in an age of throw-away items: phones, computers, hair dryers – they are all replaced so quickly.’

Jane Bruce Jane Bruce already had twenty years of collecting one thing or another behind her when she started collecting ‘art deco’ fans in the 1990s. It happened when she went to an auction sale and saw a shoe-box filled with them. Someone else got them by offering a higher price and she was very cross.

You need to be able to understand a range of texts, including how they are organised and the opinions and attitudes expressed in them. The texts will be from sources familiar to you such as magazines, articles, fiction and advertisements, but targeted at the interests of students. Students’ use of English will be tested by tasks which show how well they can control their grammar and vocabulary.

• Use of English Part 1
• Use of English Part 2
• Use of English Part 3
• Use of English Part 4
• Reading Part 5
• Reading Part 6
• Reading Part 7

For this part, you practice vocabulary by using words with similar meanings, collocations, linking phrases, phrasal verbs, etc.

• B2 First Use of English Video
• Becoming Famous
• Cycling Scheme
• Film Stars and Music Celebrities
• Going on a diet
• Single or Mixed Sex Schools
• The History of Football
• The Poor and Less Fortunate
• The Special Bus
• Why do we need to play?

For this part, you practice grammar and vocabulary.

• Better swimming
• Cardboard Bike
• Dealing with waste plastic
• Drinking Water
• Fit for Sports
• Following Your Nose
• Growing Bananas
• Holiday with a Friend
• Making Perfume
• The Farm Trip
• The Jobs Market
• Tree Climbing
• Weather Forecasting
• Young Enterprise

For this part, you practice vocabulary word-building by changing different words using a base word.

• Angel of Mercy
• Fast Food Industry
• Life on Other Planets
• Music in Schools
• Mystery Weekend Break
• Pollution Problems
• Understanding Time
• Workforce on the Move

For this part,  you have to express a message in different ways showing flexibility and resource in the use of language.

• B2 First Use of English Part 4
• B2 Key Word Transformation 1
• B2 Key Word Transformation 10
• B2 Key Word Transformation 2
• B2 Key Word Transformation 3
• B2 Key Word Transformation 4
• B2 Key Word Transformation 5
• B2 Key Word Transformation 6
• B2 Key Word Transformation 7
• B2 Key Word Transformation 8
• B2 Key Word Transformation 9

For this part, you practice how to understand the details of a text, including opinions and attitudes.

• Cycling to India
• Hottest Place on Earth
• Living and Working in Another Country
• The Picture of Dorian Gray
• The Wrestler who Wrote a Book

For this part, you practice how to understand the structure and follow the development of a text.

• Benefits of Getting Fit
• Our Polluted World

For this part, you practice how to find specific information in a text or texts.

• English Seaside Resorts
• Teenage Summer Camps

B2 First Writing Section

• B2 Article Video
• B2 Book Review Video
• B2 Descriptive Email Video
• B2 Place Review Video
• B2 Short Story Video
• B2 Cities of the Future
• B2 Fast Food
• B2 Following Fashion
• B2 Live Concert
• B2 Pollution Problems
• B2 Taking a Gap Year
• B2 A Work of Art
• B2 Being a Celebrity
• B2 Life Away
• B2 Preventing Crime
• B2 School Improvement
• B2 Shopping Online
• B2 Tablet or Laptop
• B2 The Countryside
• School Canteen
• B2 A School Trip to Italy
• B2 An Important Day
• B2 Forgetful Girl
• The Hidden Beach
• The Lost Photo
• B2 IMDb Website Review
• B2 Jurassic Park Book Review
• B2 Mountain Bike Park
• B2 Romeo and Juliet Play Review
• B2 Ted Film Review
• Scarlett Animation Review
• B2 Berlin Travel Report
• B2 Shops Report
• B2 Visiting Places Report
• B2 Birthday Party Letter
• B2 Computer Games Email
• B2 Favourite Film Email
• B2 Holiday in Thailand Email
• B2 New Attraction Letter
• B2 Place to Visit Email
• B2 Spending Money Email
• B2 Visiting Relative Email

B2 First Listening and Speaking Section

• Speaking Part 1
• Speaking Part 2
• Speaking Part 3
• Speaking Part 4
• Listening Part 1
• Listening Part 2
• Listening Part 3
• Listening Part 4

In this part you talk to the examiner about yourself and your life, e.g. your name, school, interests and future plans.

B2 Speaking Part 1 Exercise 1 B2 Speaking Part 1 Exercise 2 B2 Speaking Part 1 Exercise 3

In this part, you talk about two photos on your own which you have to compare for about 1 minute . After you have finished, your partner will be asked a short question about your photo. When your partner has spoken about their photos for about 1 minute , you will be asked a question about their photos.

B2 Speaking Part 2 Exercise 1

In this part you express ideas with your partner by looking at a discussion point that the examiner gives you.

This will be available soon.

In this part, you focus on general aspects of a topic with the examiner or you may involve your partner.

In this part, you will hear people talking in eight different situations.

Entertainment Short Conversations Talking about Sports

In this part, you will hear someone being interviewed.

Extreme Snowboarding Future Options Newly Published Book The Talent Show

In this part, you will hear five people talking about different things.

Demonstration Travel Worries

In this part, you will hear an interview.

Protecting the Environment Staying Healthy

• Customs and Traditions
• Entertainment and Leisure
• Environmental and Nature
• Future Jobs and Education
• Identity and Well-being
• Travel and Adventure

Customs and Traditions explores how we celebrate our cultural identity across the globe.

• Christmas Hard Exercises
• Story of Halloween
• Valentine Message

Entertainment and Leisure explores how we spent our free time.

Environment and Nature explores the way humans and animals live, adapt and change on our planet.

• Global Changes

Exploring how different societies create roles for people to develop their skills and knowledge.

• Future Schools
• Sport at School
• School Rules
• Fashion Design

Exploring how we learn and adjust to the world around us. .

• Taking Risks
• Natural Disasters

Exploring how we experience the world through our life journeys

• Travelling around the World
• Crossword Puzzles
• Word Searches
• Word Puzzles
• Book Crossword
• Computer Crossword
• Crime and Law Crossword
• Environment Crossword
• Fame Crossword
• Festivals and Celebrations Crossword
• Films Crossword
• Fitness Crossword
• Information Technology Crossword
• Language Crossword
• Lifestyles Crossword
• Medicine and Health Crossword
• Natural Environment Crossword
• Places and Buildings Crossword
• Synonyms Crossword
• Travel Crossword
• Work Crossword
• Air Pollution Word Search
• Airport Word Search
• Art Word Search
• Beliefs and Ideas Word Search
• Celebrations Word Search
• Conservation Word Search
• Crime and Law Wordsearch
• Education Word Search
• Feelings Word Search
• Films Word Search
• Food Production Word Search
• Habitat Word Search
• Health Word Search
• Information Technology Word Search
• Places and Buildings
• Pollution Word Search
• Shopping Word Search
• Speed and Movement Word Search
• Superfoods Word Search
• Teaching Word Search
• Work Word Search
• World Wildlife Fund Word Search
• Writers Word Search
• Feelings Word Puzzle
• Health Word Puzzle
• IT Word Puzzle
• Phrasal Verbs Word Puzzle
• Places Word Puzzle

We also provide free resources across the full range of levels to provide the tools to communicate in English well.

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IELTS Speaking Part 1: Collecting Things

07/25/2022 01:33 PM

General Rules:

Here are some general rules about Part 1 that you may find useful. The point of Task 1 is for you to answer shortly to many questions. Think of it like an interview where you need to answer questions about yourself. You should:

Keep it short. When you practice, in general try to answer in 15 to 20 seconds per question. 

Give at least 1 reason and 1 real-life example. again very general but try to have at least 1 real example in your answer., talk about yourself. this part is all related to you (if the question doesn't say another person)..

So, lets take a look at some questions:

Vocabulary related to the topic

Sentence starters and linking words, idioms or special phrases, do you collect things.

A "No" answer.

I wouldn't say I do . I don't have any particular collection of toys, I don't like to collect clothes or shoes, and I definitely don't have any post stamps in an album . I guess I didn't find a unique thing I love, so I never got into collecting.

My Personal Answer:

Are there any things that you keep from childhood?

Oh yes, I do. I still have a few toys from way back , when I was little. They are a g reat memory , and I've told my parents to keep them safe . I don't really keep any clothes since I grew out of them already, of course , but I believe I've kept a few costumes I used to wear at ceremonies , again, as a warm memory . 

Would you keep old things for a long time? Why?

Where do you usually keep things that you need.

Are we talking about old things or new things? Most of the things I need in my daily life are on my desk or near drawers . I like to have everything in front of my eyes , so to say , to be able to grab it quickly and do my job as soon as possible. As for some older things, I'll keep them in the wardrobe . 

What kinds of things are not worth keeping?

What kinds of collections do people keep.

50 Must-Read Contemporary Essay Collections

Liberty Hardy

Liberty Hardy is an unrepentant velocireader, writer, bitey mad lady, and tattoo canvas. Turn-ons include books, books and books. Her favorite exclamation is “Holy cats!” Liberty reads more than should be legal, sleeps very little, frequently writes on her belly with Sharpie markers, and when she dies, she’s leaving her body to library science. Until then, she lives with her three cats, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon, in Maine. She is also right behind you. Just kidding! She’s too busy reading. Twitter: @MissLiberty

View All posts by Liberty Hardy

I feel like essay collections don’t get enough credit. They’re so wonderful! They’re like short story collections, but TRUE. It’s like going to a truth buffet. You can get information about sooooo many topics, sometimes in one single book! To prove that there are a zillion amazing essay collections out there, I compiled 50 great contemporary essay collections, just from the last 18 months alone.  Ranging in topics from food, nature, politics, sex, celebrity, and more, there is something here for everyone!

I’ve included a brief description from the publisher with each title. Tell us in the comments about which of these you’ve read or other contemporary essay collections that you love. There are a LOT of them. Yay, books!

Must-Read Contemporary Essay Collections

They can’t kill us until they kill us  by hanif abdurraqib.

“In an age of confusion, fear, and loss, Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib’s is a voice that matters. Whether he’s attending a Bruce Springsteen concert the day after visiting Michael Brown’s grave, or discussing public displays of affection at a Carly Rae Jepsen show, he writes with a poignancy and magnetism that resonates profoundly.”

Would Everybody Please Stop?: Reflections on Life and Other Bad Ideas  by Jenny Allen

“Jenny Allen’s musings range fluidly from the personal to the philosophical. She writes with the familiarity of someone telling a dinner party anecdote, forgoing decorum for candor and comedy. To read  Would Everybody Please Stop?  is to experience life with imaginative and incisive humor.”

Longthroat Memoirs: Soups, Sex and Nigerian Taste Buds  by Yemisi Aribisala

“A sumptuous menu of essays about Nigerian cuisine, lovingly presented by the nation’s top epicurean writer. As well as a mouth-watering appraisal of Nigerian food,  Longthroat Memoirs  is a series of love letters to the Nigerian palate. From the cultural history of soup, to fish as aphrodisiac and the sensual allure of snails,  Longthroat Memoirs  explores the complexities, the meticulousness, and the tactile joy of Nigerian gastronomy.”

Beyond Measure: Essays  by Rachel Z. Arndt

“ Beyond Measure  is a fascinating exploration of the rituals, routines, metrics and expectations through which we attempt to quantify and ascribe value to our lives. With mordant humor and penetrating intellect, Arndt casts her gaze beyond event-driven narratives to the machinery underlying them: judo competitions measured in weigh-ins and wait times; the significance of the elliptical’s stationary churn; the rote scripts of dating apps; the stupefying sameness of the daily commute.”

Magic Hours  by Tom Bissell

“Award-winning essayist Tom Bissell explores the highs and lows of the creative process. He takes us from the set of  The Big Bang Theory  to the first novel of Ernest Hemingway to the final work of David Foster Wallace; from the films of Werner Herzog to the film of Tommy Wiseau to the editorial meeting in which Paula Fox’s work was relaunched into the world. Originally published in magazines such as  The Believer ,  The New Yorker , and  Harper’s , these essays represent ten years of Bissell’s best writing on every aspect of creation—be it Iraq War documentaries or video-game character voices—and will provoke as much thought as they do laughter.”

Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession  by Alice Bolin

“In this poignant collection, Alice Bolin examines iconic American works from the essays of Joan Didion and James Baldwin to  Twin Peaks , Britney Spears, and  Serial , illuminating the widespread obsession with women who are abused, killed, and disenfranchised, and whose bodies (dead and alive) are used as props to bolster men’s stories. Smart and accessible, thoughtful and heartfelt, Bolin investigates the implications of our cultural fixations, and her own role as a consumer and creator.”

Betwixt-and-Between: Essays on the Writing Life  by Jenny Boully

“Jenny Boully’s essays are ripe with romance and sensual pleasures, drawing connections between the digression, reflection, imagination, and experience that characterizes falling in love as well as the life of a writer. Literary theory, philosophy, and linguistics rub up against memory, dreamscapes, and fancy, making the practice of writing a metaphor for the illusory nature of experience.  Betwixt and Between  is, in many ways, simply a book about how to live.”

Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give by Ada Calhoun

“In  Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give , Ada Calhoun presents an unflinching but also loving portrait of her own marriage, opening a long-overdue conversation about the institution as it truly is: not the happy ending of a love story or a relic doomed by high divorce rates, but the beginning of a challenging new chapter of which ‘the first twenty years are the hardest.'”

How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays  by Alexander Chee

“ How to Write an Autobiographical Novel  is the author’s manifesto on the entangling of life, literature, and politics, and how the lessons learned from a life spent reading and writing fiction have changed him. In these essays, he grows from student to teacher, reader to writer, and reckons with his identities as a son, a gay man, a Korean American, an artist, an activist, a lover, and a friend. He examines some of the most formative experiences of his life and the nation’s history, including his father’s death, the AIDS crisis, 9/11, the jobs that supported his writing—Tarot-reading, bookselling, cater-waiting for William F. Buckley—the writing of his first novel,  Edinburgh , and the election of Donald Trump.”

Too Much and Not the Mood: Essays  by Durga Chew-Bose

“ Too Much and Not the Mood is a beautiful and surprising exploration of what it means to be a first-generation, creative young woman working today. On April 11, 1931, Virginia Woolf ended her entry in A Writer’s Diary with the words ‘too much and not the mood’ to describe her frustration with placating her readers, what she described as the ‘cramming in and the cutting out.’ She wondered if she had anything at all that was truly worth saying. The attitude of that sentiment inspired Durga Chew-Bose to gather own writing in this lyrical collection of poetic essays that examine personhood and artistic growth. Drawing inspiration from a diverse group of incisive and inquiring female authors, Chew-Bose captures the inner restlessness that keeps her always on the brink of creative expression.”

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy  by Ta-Nehisi Coates

“‘We were eight years in power’ was the lament of Reconstruction-era black politicians as the American experiment in multiracial democracy ended with the return of white supremacist rule in the South. In this sweeping collection of new and selected essays, Ta-Nehisi Coates explores the tragic echoes of that history in our own time: the unprecedented election of a black president followed by a vicious backlash that fueled the election of the man Coates argues is America’s ‘first white president.'”

Look Alive Out There: Essays by Sloane Crosley

“In  Look Alive Out There,  whether it’s scaling active volcanoes, crashing shivas, playing herself on  Gossip Girl,  befriending swingers, or squinting down the barrel of the fertility gun, Crosley continues to rise to the occasion with unmatchable nerve and electric one-liners. And as her subjects become more serious, her essays deliver not just laughs but lasting emotional heft and insight. Crosley has taken up the gauntlets thrown by her predecessors—Dorothy Parker, Nora Ephron, David Sedaris—and crafted something rare, affecting, and true.”

Fl â neuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice, and London  by Lauren Elkin

“Part cultural meander, part memoir,  Flâneuse  takes us on a distinctly cosmopolitan jaunt that begins in New York, where Elkin grew up, and transports us to Paris via Venice, Tokyo, and London, all cities in which she’s lived. We are shown the paths beaten by such  flâneuses  as the cross-dressing nineteenth-century novelist George Sand, the Parisian artist Sophie Calle, the wartime correspondent Martha Gellhorn, and the writer Jean Rhys. With tenacity and insight, Elkin creates a mosaic of what urban settings have meant to women, charting through literature, art, history, and film the sometimes exhilarating, sometimes fraught relationship that women have with the metropolis.”

Idiophone  by Amy Fusselman

“Leaping from ballet to quiltmaking, from the The Nutcracker to an Annie-B Parson interview,  Idiophone  is a strikingly original meditation on risk-taking and provocation in art and a unabashedly honest, funny, and intimate consideration of art-making in the context of motherhood, and motherhood in the context of addiction. Amy Fusselman’s compact, beautifully digressive essay feels both surprising and effortless, fueled by broad-ranging curiosity, and, fundamentally, joy.”

Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture  by Roxane Gay

“In this valuable and revealing anthology, cultural critic and bestselling author Roxane Gay collects original and previously published pieces that address what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence, and aggression they face, and where they are ‘routinely second-guessed, blown off, discredited, denigrated, besmirched, belittled, patronized, mocked, shamed, gaslit, insulted, bullied’ for speaking out.”

Sunshine State: Essays  by Sarah Gerard

“With the personal insight of  The Empathy Exams , the societal exposal of  Nickel and Dimed , and the stylistic innovation and intensity of her own break-out debut novel  Binary Star , Sarah Gerard’s  Sunshine State  uses the intimately personal to unearth the deep reservoirs of humanity buried in the corners of our world often hardest to face.”

The Art of the Wasted Day  by Patricia Hampl

“ The Art of the Wasted Day  is a picaresque travelogue of leisure written from a lifelong enchantment with solitude. Patricia Hampl visits the homes of historic exemplars of ease who made repose a goal, even an art form. She begins with two celebrated eighteenth-century Irish ladies who ran off to live a life of ‘retirement’ in rural Wales. Her search then leads to Moravia to consider the monk-geneticist, Gregor Mendel, and finally to Bordeaux for Michel Montaigne—the hero of this book—who retreated from court life to sit in his chateau tower and write about whatever passed through his mind, thus inventing the personal essay.”

A Really Big Lunch: The Roving Gourmand on Food and Life  by Jim Harrison

“Jim Harrison’s legendary gourmandise is on full display in  A Really Big Lunch . From the titular  New Yorker  piece about a French lunch that went to thirty-seven courses, to pieces from  Brick ,  Playboy , Kermit Lynch Newsletter, and more on the relationship between hunter and prey, or the obscure language of wine reviews,  A Really Big Lunch  is shot through with Harrison’s pointed aperçus and keen delight in the pleasures of the senses. And between the lines the pieces give glimpses of Harrison’s life over the last three decades.  A Really Big Lunch  is a literary delight that will satisfy every appetite.”

Insomniac City: New York, Oliver, and Me  by Bill Hayes

“Bill Hayes came to New York City in 2009 with a one-way ticket and only the vaguest idea of how he would get by. But, at forty-eight years old, having spent decades in San Francisco, he craved change. Grieving over the death of his partner, he quickly discovered the profound consolations of the city’s incessant rhythms, the sight of the Empire State Building against the night sky, and New Yorkers themselves, kindred souls that Hayes, a lifelong insomniac, encountered on late-night strolls with his camera.”

Would You Rather?: A Memoir of Growing Up and Coming Out  by Katie Heaney

“Here, for the first time, Katie opens up about realizing at the age of twenty-eight that she is gay. In these poignant, funny essays, she wrestles with her shifting sexuality and identity, and describes what it was like coming out to everyone she knows (and everyone she doesn’t). As she revisits her past, looking for any ‘clues’ that might have predicted this outcome, Katie reveals that life doesn’t always move directly from point A to point B—no matter how much we would like it to.”

Tonight I’m Someone Else: Essays  by Chelsea Hodson

“From graffiti gangs and  Grand Theft Auto  to sugar daddies, Schopenhauer, and a deadly game of Russian roulette, in these essays, Chelsea Hodson probes her own desires to examine where the physical and the proprietary collide. She asks what our privacy, our intimacy, and our own bodies are worth in the increasingly digital world of liking, linking, and sharing.”

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.: Essays  by Samantha Irby

“With  We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. , ‘bitches gotta eat’ blogger and comedian Samantha Irby turns the serio-comic essay into an art form. Whether talking about how her difficult childhood has led to a problem in making ‘adult’ budgets, explaining why she should be the new Bachelorette—she’s ’35-ish, but could easily pass for 60-something’—detailing a disastrous pilgrimage-slash-romantic-vacation to Nashville to scatter her estranged father’s ashes, sharing awkward sexual encounters, or dispensing advice on how to navigate friendships with former drinking buddies who are now suburban moms—hang in there for the Costco loot—she’s as deft at poking fun at the ghosts of her past self as she is at capturing powerful emotional truths.”

This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America  by Morgan Jerkins

“Doubly disenfranchised by race and gender, often deprived of a place within the mostly white mainstream feminist movement, black women are objectified, silenced, and marginalized with devastating consequences, in ways both obvious and subtle, that are rarely acknowledged in our country’s larger discussion about inequality. In  This Will Be My Undoing , Jerkins becomes both narrator and subject to expose the social, cultural, and historical story of black female oppression that influences the black community as well as the white, male-dominated world at large.”

Everywhere Home: A Life in Essays  by Fenton Johnson

“Part retrospective, part memoir, Fenton Johnson’s collection  Everywhere Home: A Life in Essays  explores sexuality, religion, geography, the AIDS crisis, and more. Johnson’s wanderings take him from the hills of Kentucky to those of San Francisco, from the streets of Paris to the sidewalks of Calcutta. Along the way, he investigates questions large and small: What’s the relationship between artists and museums, illuminated in a New Guinean display of shrunken heads? What’s the difference between empiricism and intuition?”

One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter: Essays  by Scaachi Koul

“In  One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter , Scaachi Koul deploys her razor-sharp humor to share all the fears, outrages, and mortifying moments of her life. She learned from an early age what made her miserable, and for Scaachi anything can be cause for despair. Whether it’s a shopping trip gone awry; enduring awkward conversations with her bikini waxer; overcoming her fear of flying while vacationing halfway around the world; dealing with Internet trolls, or navigating the fears and anxieties of her parents. Alongside these personal stories are pointed observations about life as a woman of color: where every aspect of her appearance is open for critique, derision, or outright scorn; where strict gender rules bind in both Western and Indian cultures, leaving little room for a woman not solely focused on marriage and children to have a career (and a life) for herself.”

Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions  by Valeria Luiselli and jon lee anderson (translator)

“A damning confrontation between the American dream and the reality of undocumented children seeking a new life in the U.S. Structured around the 40 questions Luiselli translates and asks undocumented Latin American children facing deportation,  Tell Me How It Ends  (an expansion of her 2016 Freeman’s essay of the same name) humanizes these young migrants and highlights the contradiction between the idea of America as a fiction for immigrants and the reality of racism and fear—both here and back home.”

All the Lives I Want: Essays About My Best Friends Who Happen to Be Famous Strangers  by Alana Massey

“Mixing Didion’s affected cool with moments of giddy celebrity worship, Massey examines the lives of the women who reflect our greatest aspirations and darkest fears back onto us. These essays are personal without being confessional and clever in a way that invites readers into the joke. A cultural critique and a finely wrought fan letter, interwoven with stories that are achingly personal, All the Lives I Want is also an exploration of mental illness, the sex industry, and the dangers of loving too hard.”

Typewriters, Bombs, Jellyfish: Essays  by Tom McCarthy

“Certain points of reference recur with dreamlike insistence—among them the artist Ed Ruscha’s  Royal Road Test , a photographic documentation of the roadside debris of a Royal typewriter hurled from the window of a traveling car; the great blooms of jellyfish that are filling the oceans and gumming up the machinery of commerce and military domination—and the question throughout is: How can art explode the restraining conventions of so-called realism, whether aesthetic or political, to engage in the active reinvention of the world?”

Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump’s America  by Samhita Mukhopadhyay and Kate Harding

“When 53 percent of white women voted for Donald Trump and 94 percent of black women voted for Hillary Clinton, how can women unite in Trump’s America? Nasty Women includes inspiring essays from a diverse group of talented women writers who seek to provide a broad look at how we got here and what we need to do to move forward.”

Don’t Call Me Princess: Essays on Girls, Women, Sex, and Life  by Peggy Orenstein

“Named one of the ’40 women who changed the media business in the last 40 years’ by  Columbia Journalism Review , Peggy Orenstein is one of the most prominent, unflinching feminist voices of our time. Her writing has broken ground and broken silences on topics as wide-ranging as miscarriage, motherhood, breast cancer, princess culture and the importance of girls’ sexual pleasure. Her unique blend of investigative reporting, personal revelation and unexpected humor has made her books bestselling classics.”

When You Find Out the World Is Against You: And Other Funny Memories About Awful Moments  by Kelly Oxford

“Kelly Oxford likes to blow up the internet. Whether it is with the kind of Tweets that lead  Rolling Stone  to name her one of the Funniest People on Twitter or with pictures of her hilariously adorable family (human and animal) or with something much more serious, like creating the hashtag #NotOkay, where millions of women came together to share their stories of sexual assault, Kelly has a unique, razor-sharp perspective on modern life. As a screen writer, professional sh*t disturber, wife and mother of three, Kelly is about everything but the status quo.”

Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman  by Anne Helen Petersen

“You know the type: the woman who won’t shut up, who’s too brazen, too opinionated—too much. She’s the unruly woman, and she embodies one of the most provocative and powerful forms of womanhood today. In  Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud , Anne Helen Petersen uses the lens of ‘unruliness’ to explore the ascension of pop culture powerhouses like Lena Dunham, Nicki Minaj, and Kim Kardashian, exploring why the public loves to love (and hate) these controversial figures. With its brisk, incisive analysis,  Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud  will be a conversation-starting book on what makes and breaks celebrity today.”

Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist  by Franchesca Ramsey

“In her first book, Ramsey uses her own experiences as an accidental activist to explore the many ways we communicate with each other—from the highs of bridging gaps and making connections to the many pitfalls that accompany talking about race, power, sexuality, and gender in an unpredictable public space…the internet.”

Shrewed: A Wry and Closely Observed Look at the Lives of Women and Girls  by Elizabeth Renzetti

“Drawing upon Renzetti’s decades of reporting on feminist issues,  Shrewed  is a book about feminism’s crossroads. From Hillary Clinton’s failed campaign to the quest for equal pay, from the lessons we can learn from old ladies to the future of feminism in a turbulent world, Renzetti takes a pointed, witty look at how far we’ve come—and how far we have to go.”

What Are We Doing Here?: Essays  by Marilynne Robinson

“In this new essay collection she trains her incisive mind on our modern political climate and the mysteries of faith. Whether she is investigating how the work of great thinkers about America like Emerson and Tocqueville inform our political consciousness or discussing the way that beauty informs and disciplines daily life, Robinson’s peerless prose and boundless humanity are on full display.”

Double Bind: Women on Ambition  by Robin Romm

“‘A work of courage and ferocious honesty’ (Diana Abu-Jaber),  Double Bind  could not come at a more urgent time. Even as major figures from Gloria Steinem to Beyoncé embrace the word ‘feminism,’ the word ‘ambition’ remains loaded with ambivalence. Many women see it as synonymous with strident or aggressive, yet most feel compelled to strive and achieve—the seeming contradiction leaving them in a perpetual double bind. Ayana Mathis, Molly Ringwald, Roxane Gay, and a constellation of ‘nimble thinkers . . . dismantle this maddening paradox’ ( O, The Oprah Magazine ) with candor, wit, and rage. Women who have made landmark achievements in fields as diverse as law, dog sledding, and butchery weigh in, breaking the last feminist taboo once and for all.”

The Destiny Thief: Essays on Writing, Writers and Life  by Richard Russo

“In these nine essays, Richard Russo provides insight into his life as a writer, teacher, friend, and reader. From a commencement speech he gave at Colby College, to the story of how an oddly placed toilet made him reevaluate the purpose of humor in art and life, to a comprehensive analysis of Mark Twain’s value, to his harrowing journey accompanying a dear friend as she pursued gender-reassignment surgery,  The Destiny Thief  reflects the broad interests and experiences of one of America’s most beloved authors. Warm, funny, wise, and poignant, the essays included here traverse Russo’s writing life, expanding our understanding of who he is and how his singular, incredibly generous mind works. An utter joy to read, they give deep insight into the creative process from the prospective of one of our greatest writers.”

Curry: Eating, Reading, and Race by Naben Ruthnum

“Curry is a dish that doesn’t quite exist, but, as this wildly funny and sharp essay points out, a dish that doesn’t properly exist can have infinite, equally authentic variations. By grappling with novels, recipes, travelogues, pop culture, and his own upbringing, Naben Ruthnum depicts how the distinctive taste of curry has often become maladroit shorthand for brown identity. With the sardonic wit of Gita Mehta’s  Karma Cola  and the refined, obsessive palette of Bill Buford’s  Heat , Ruthnum sinks his teeth into the story of how the beloved flavor calcified into an aesthetic genre that limits the imaginations of writers, readers, and eaters.”

The River of Consciousness  by Oliver Sacks

“Sacks, an Oxford-educated polymath, had a deep familiarity not only with literature and medicine but with botany, animal anatomy, chemistry, the history of science, philosophy, and psychology.  The River of Consciousness  is one of two books Sacks was working on up to his death, and it reveals his ability to make unexpected connections, his sheer joy in knowledge, and his unceasing, timeless project to understand what makes us human.”

All the Women in My Family Sing: Women Write the World: Essays on Equality, Justice, and Freedom (Nothing But the Truth So Help Me God)  by Deborah Santana and America Ferrera

“ All the Women in My Family Sing  is an anthology documenting the experiences of women of color at the dawn of the twenty-first century. It is a vital collection of prose and poetry whose topics range from the pressures of being the vice-president of a Fortune 500 Company, to escaping the killing fields of Cambodia, to the struggles inside immigration, identity, romance, and self-worth. These brief, trenchant essays capture the aspirations and wisdom of women of color as they exercise autonomy, creativity, and dignity and build bridges to heal the brokenness in today’s turbulent world.”

We Wear the Mask: 15 True Stories of Passing in America  by Brando Skyhorse and Lisa Page

“For some, ‘passing’ means opportunity, access, or safety. Others don’t willingly pass but are ‘passed’ in specific situations by someone else.  We Wear the Mask , edited by  Brando Skyhorse  and  Lisa Page , is an illuminating and timely anthology that examines the complex reality of passing in America. Skyhorse, a Mexican American, writes about how his mother passed him as an American Indian before he learned who he really is. Page shares how her white mother didn’t tell friends about her black ex-husband or that her children were, in fact, biracial.”

Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith

“Since she burst spectacularly into view with her debut novel almost two decades ago, Zadie Smith has established herself not just as one of the world’s preeminent fiction writers, but also a brilliant and singular essayist. She contributes regularly to  The New Yorker  and the  New York Review of Books  on a range of subjects, and each piece of hers is a literary event in its own right.”

The Mother of All Questions: Further Reports from the Feminist Revolutions  by Rebecca Solnit

“In a timely follow-up to her national bestseller  Men Explain Things to Me , Rebecca Solnit offers indispensable commentary on women who refuse to be silenced, misogynistic violence, the fragile masculinity of the literary canon, the gender binary, the recent history of rape jokes, and much more. In characteristic style, Solnit mixes humor, keen analysis, and powerful insight in these essays.”

The Wrong Way to Save Your Life: Essays  by Megan Stielstra

“Whether she’s imagining the implications of open-carry laws on college campuses, recounting the story of going underwater on the mortgage of her first home, or revealing the unexpected pains and joys of marriage and motherhood, Stielstra’s work informs, impels, enlightens, and embraces us all. The result is something beautiful—this story, her courage, and, potentially, our own.”

Against Memoir: Complaints, Confessions & Criticisms  by Michelle Tea

“Delivered with her signature honesty and dark humor, this is Tea’s first-ever collection of journalistic writing. As she blurs the line between telling other people’s stories and her own, she turns an investigative eye to the genre that’s nurtured her entire career—memoir—and considers the price that art demands be paid from life.”

A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause  by Shawn Wen

“In precise, jewel-like scenes and vignettes,  A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause  pays homage to the singular genius of a mostly-forgotten art form. Drawing on interviews, archival research, and meticulously observed performances, Wen translates the gestural language of mime into a lyric written portrait by turns whimsical, melancholic, and haunting.”

Acid West: Essays  by Joshua Wheeler

“The radical evolution of American identity, from cowboys to drone warriors to space explorers, is a story rooted in southern New Mexico.  Acid West  illuminates this history, clawing at the bounds of genre to reveal a place that is, for better or worse, home. By turns intimate, absurd, and frightening,  Acid West  is an enlightening deep-dive into a prophetic desert at the bottom of America.”

Sexographies  by Gabriela Wiener and Lucy Greaves And jennifer adcock (Translators)

“In fierce and sumptuous first-person accounts, renowned Peruvian journalist Gabriela Wiener records infiltrating the most dangerous Peruvian prison, participating in sexual exchanges in swingers clubs, traveling the dark paths of the Bois de Boulogne in Paris in the company of transvestites and prostitutes, undergoing a complicated process of egg donation, and participating in a ritual of ayahuasca ingestion in the Amazon jungle—all while taking us on inward journeys that explore immigration, maternity, fear of death, ugliness, and threesomes. Fortunately, our eagle-eyed voyeur emerges from her narrative forays unscathed and ready to take on the kinks, obsessions, and messiness of our lives.  Sexographies  is an eye-opening, kamikaze journey across the contours of the human body and mind.”

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative  by Florence Williams

“From forest trails in Korea, to islands in Finland, to eucalyptus groves in California, Florence Williams investigates the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain. Delving into brand-new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and strengthen our relationships. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these ideas—and the answers they yield—are more urgent than ever.”

Can You Tolerate This?: Essays  by Ashleigh Young

“ Can You Tolerate This?  presents a vivid self-portrait of an introspective yet widely curious young woman, the colorful, isolated community in which she comes of age, and the uneasy tensions—between safety and risk, love and solitude, the catharsis of grief and the ecstasy of creation—that define our lives.”

What are your favorite contemporary essay collections?

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The Best Reviewed Essay Collections of 2021

Featuring joan didion, rachel kushner, hanif abdurraqib, ann patchett, jenny diski, and more.

Well, friends, another grim and grueling plague year is drawing to a close, and that can mean only one thing: it’s time to put on our Book Marks stats hats and tabulate the best reviewed books of the past twelve months.

Yes, using reviews drawn from more than 150 publications, over the next two weeks we’ll be revealing the most critically-acclaimed books of 2021, in the categories of (deep breath): Memoir and Biography ; Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror ; Short Story Collections ; Essay Collections; Poetry; Mystery and Crime; Graphic Literature; Literature in Translation; General Fiction; and General Nonfiction.

Today’s installment: Essay Collections .

Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.”

1. These Precious Days by Ann Patchett (Harper)

21 Rave • 3 Positive • 1 Mixed Read Ann Patchett on creating the work space you need, here

“… excellent … Patchett has a talent for friendship and celebrates many of those friends here. She writes with pure love for her mother, and with humor and some good-natured exasperation at Karl, who is such a great character he warrants a book of his own. Patchett’s account of his feigned offer to buy a woman’s newly adopted baby when she expresses unwarranted doubts is priceless … The days that Patchett refers to are precious indeed, but her writing is anything but. She describes deftly, with a line or a look, and I considered the absence of paragraphs freighted with adjectives to be a mercy. I don’t care about the hue of the sky or the shade of the couch. That’s not writing; it’s decorating. Or hiding. Patchett’s heart, smarts and 40 years of craft create an economy that delivers her perfectly understated stories emotionally whole. Her writing style is most gloriously her own.”

–Alex Witchel ( The New York Times Book Review )

2. Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion (Knopf)

14 Rave • 12 Positive • 6 Mixed Read an excerpt from Let Me Tell You What I Mean here

“In five decades’ worth of essays, reportage and criticism, Didion has documented the charade implicit in how things are, in a first-person, observational style that is not sacrosanct but common-sensical. Seeing as a way of extrapolating hypocrisy, disingenuousness and doubt, she’ll notice the hydrangeas are plastic and mention it once, in passing, sorting the scene. Her gaze, like a sentry on the page, permanently trained on what is being disguised … The essays in Let Me Tell You What I Mean are at once funny and touching, roving and no-nonsense. They are about humiliation and about notions of rightness … Didion’s pen is like a periscope onto the creative mind—and, as this collection demonstrates, it always has been. These essays offer a direct line to what’s in the offing.”

–Durga Chew-Bose ( The New York Times Book Review )

3. Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Solnit (Viking)

12 Rave • 13 Positive • 1 Mixed Read an excerpt from Orwell’s Roses here

“… on its simplest level, a tribute by one fine essayist of the political left to another of an earlier generation. But as with any of Solnit’s books, such a description would be reductive: the great pleasure of reading her is spending time with her mind, its digressions and juxtapositions, its unexpected connections. Only a few contemporary writers have the ability to start almost anywhere and lead the reader on paths that, while apparently meandering, compel unfailingly and feel, by the end, cosmically connected … Somehow, Solnit’s references to Ross Gay, Michael Pollan, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Peter Coyote (to name but a few) feel perfectly at home in the narrative; just as later chapters about an eighteenth-century portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds and a visit to the heart of the Colombian rose-growing industry seem inevitable and indispensable … The book provides a captivating account of Orwell as gardener, lover, parent, and endlessly curious thinker … And, movingly, she takes the time to find the traces of Orwell the gardener and lover of beauty in his political novels, and in his insistence on the value and pleasure of things .”

–Claire Messud ( Harper’s )

4. Girlhood by Melissa Febos (Bloomsbury)

16 Rave • 5 Positive • 1 Mixed Read an excerpt from Girlhood here

“Every once in a while, a book comes along that feels so definitive, so necessary, that not only do you want to tell everyone to read it now, but you also find yourself wanting to go back in time and tell your younger self that you will one day get to read something that will make your life make sense. Melissa Febos’s fierce nonfiction collection, Girlhood , might just be that book. Febos is one of our most passionate and profound essayists … Girlhood …offers us exquisite, ferocious language for embracing self-pleasure and self-love. It’s a book that women will wish they had when they were younger, and that they’ll rejoice in having now … Febos is a balletic memoirist whose capacious gaze can take in so many seemingly disparate things and unfurl them in a graceful, cohesive way … Intellectual and erotic, engaging and empowering[.]”

–Michelle Hart ( Oprah Daily )

5. Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told by Jenny Diski (Bloomsbury)

14 Rave • 7 Positive

“[Diski’s] reputation as an original, witty and cant-free thinker on the way we live now should be given a significant boost. Her prose is elegant and amused, as if to counter her native melancholia and includes frequent dips into memorable images … Like the ideal artist Henry James conjured up, on whom nothing is lost, Diski notices everything that comes her way … She is discerning about serious topics (madness and death) as well as less fraught material, such as fashion … in truth Diski’s first-person voice is like no other, selectively intimate but not overbearingly egotistic, like, say, Norman Mailer’s. It bears some resemblance to Joan Didion’s, if Didion were less skittish and insistently stylish and generated more warmth. What they have in common is their innate skepticism and the way they ask questions that wouldn’t occur to anyone else … Suffice it to say that our culture, enmeshed as it is in carefully arranged snapshots of real life, needs Jenny Diski, who, by her own admission, ‘never owned a camera, never taken one on holiday.’” It is all but impossible not to warm up to a writer who observes herself so keenly … I, in turn, wish there were more people around who thought like Diski. The world would be a more generous, less shallow and infinitely more intriguing place.”

–Daphne Merkin ( The New York Times Book Review )

6. The Hard Crowd: Essays 2000-2020 by Rachel Kushner (Scribner)

12 Rave • 7 Positive Listen to an interview with Rachel Kushner here

“Whether she’s writing about Jeff Koons, prison abolition or a Palestinian refugee camp in Jerusalem, [Kushner’s] interested in appearances, and in the deeper currents a surface detail might betray … Her writing is magnetised by outlaw sensibility, hard lives lived at a slant, art made in conditions of ferment and unrest, though she rarely serves a platter that isn’t style-mag ready … She makes a pretty convincing case for a political dimension to Jeff Koons’s vacuities and mirrored surfaces, engages repeatedly with the Italian avant garde and writes best of all about an artist friend whose death undoes a spell of nihilism … It’s not just that Kushner is looking back on the distant city of youth; more that she’s the sole survivor of a wild crowd done down by prison, drugs, untimely death … What she remembers is a whole world, but does the act of immortalising it in language also drain it of its power,’neon, in pink, red, and warm white, bleeding into the fog’? She’s mining a rich seam of specificity, her writing charged by the dangers she ran up against. And then there’s the frank pleasure of her sentences, often shorn of definite articles or odd words, so they rev and bucket along … That New Journalism style, live hard and keep your eyes open, has long since given way to the millennial cult of the personal essay, with its performance of pain, its earnest display of wounds received and lessons learned. But Kushner brings it all flooding back. Even if I’m skeptical of its dazzle, I’m glad to taste something this sharp, this smart.”

–Olivia Laing ( The Guardian )

7. The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century by Amia Srinivasan (FSG)

12 Rave • 7 Positive • 5 Mixed • 1 Pan

“[A] quietly dazzling new essay collection … This is, needless to say, fraught terrain, and Srinivasan treads it with determination and skill … These essays are works of both criticism and imagination. Srinivasan refuses to resort to straw men; she will lay out even the most specious argument clearly and carefully, demonstrating its emotional power, even if her ultimate intention is to dismantle it … This, then, is a book that explicitly addresses intersectionality, even if Srinivasan is dissatisfied with the common—and reductive—understanding of the term … Srinivasan has written a compassionate book. She has also written a challenging one … Srinivasan proposes the kind of education enacted in this brilliant, rigorous book. She coaxes our imaginations out of the well-worn grooves of the existing order.”

–Jennifer Szalai ( The New York Times )

8. A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib (Random House)

13 Rave • 4 Positive Listen to an interview with Hanif Abdurraqib here

“[A] wide, deep, and discerning inquest into the Beauty of Blackness as enacted on stages and screens, in unanimity and discord, on public airwaves and in intimate spaces … has brought to pop criticism and cultural history not just a poet’s lyricism and imagery but also a scholar’s rigor, a novelist’s sense of character and place, and a punk-rocker’s impulse to dislodge conventional wisdom from its moorings until something shakes loose and is exposed to audiences too lethargic to think or even react differently … Abdurraqib cherishes this power to enlarge oneself within or beyond real or imagined restrictions … Abdurraqib reminds readers of the massive viewing audience’s shock and awe over seeing one of the world’s biggest pop icons appearing midfield at this least radical of American rituals … Something about the seemingly insatiable hunger Abdurraqib shows for cultural transaction, paradoxical mischief, and Beauty in Blackness tells me he’ll get to such matters soon enough.”

–Gene Seymour ( Bookforum )

9. On Animals by Susan Orlean (Avid Reader Press)

11 Rave • 6 Positive • 1 Mixed Listen to an interview with Susan Orlean here

“I very much enjoyed Orlean’s perspective in these original, perceptive, and clever essays showcasing the sometimes strange, sometimes sick, sometimes tender relationships between people and animals … whether Orlean is writing about one couple’s quest to find their lost dog, the lives of working donkeys of the Fez medina in Morocco, or a man who rescues lions (and happily allows even full grown males to gently chew his head), her pages are crammed with quirky characters, telling details, and flabbergasting facts … Readers will find these pages full of astonishments … Orlean excels as a reporter…Such thorough reporting made me long for updates on some of these stories … But even this criticism only testifies to the delight of each of the urbane and vivid stories in this collection. Even though Orlean claims the animals she writes about remain enigmas, she makes us care about their fates. Readers will continue to think about these dogs and donkeys, tigers and lions, chickens and pigeons long after we close the book’s covers. I hope most of them are still well.”

–Sy Montgomery ( The Boston Globe )

10. Graceland, at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache from the American South  by Margaret Renkl (Milkweed Editions)

9 Rave • 5 Positive Read Margaret Renkl on finding ideas everywhere, here

“Renkl’s sense of joyful belonging to the South, a region too often dismissed on both coasts in crude stereotypes and bad jokes, co-exists with her intense desire for Southerners who face prejudice or poverty finally to be embraced and supported … Renkl at her most tender and most fierce … Renkl’s gift, just as it was in her first book Late Migrations , is to make fascinating for others what is closest to her heart … Any initial sense of emotional whiplash faded as as I proceeded across the six sections and realized that the book is largely organized around one concept, that of fair and loving treatment for all—regardless of race, class, sex, gender or species … What rises in me after reading her essays is Lewis’ famous urging to get in good trouble to make the world fairer and better. Many people in the South are doing just that—and through her beautiful writing, Renkl is among them.”

–Barbara J. King ( NPR )

Our System:

RAVE = 5 points • POSITIVE = 3 points • MIXED = 1 point • PAN = -5 points

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