Every object tells a story - Oliver Hoare

This extraordinary and breathtakingly beautiful book celebrates a lifetime of collecting passion. Oliver Hoare, one of London's most distinguished dealers, originally learnt his craft in the company of Bruce Chatwin. His love of the rare, the evocative and the seductive shines out from every stunning object in this collection and the stories that he teases out from them. No one could fail to be drawn into this gorgeous labyrinth. Published to coincide with an exhibition held in the magnificent settings of Fitzroy Square, London, the book includes antiquities from the ancient and classical worlds; superb oriental musical instruments; erotica and fertilica; a section devoted to extinct species, particularly the dodo; objects connected to shamanism, magic, and alchemy; engravings by Durer, Hollar, and Rembrandt; unusual paintings and textiles; curiosities including a Man Ray objet trouve, and the 13th Dalai Lama's double bass-he was passionate about jazz.