The part which objects and collections play in our lives has recently become the subject of much interest and debate. This volume brings together for the first time the most significant papers on the interpretation of objects and collections, and examines how people relate to material culture and why they collect things. The work discusses the interpretation of objects, setting the philosophical and historical context of object interpretation, and the interpretation of collections - the study of collections in their historical and conceptual context. This unique anthology of articles and extracts will be of inestimable value to all students and professionals involved in the interpretation of objects and collections.