John E. Simmons has worked in museums since his freshman year in college (1969). Over the course of his career, he has been a zookeeper, collections manager, museum studies instructor, and director of a graduate program in museum studies. He has taught workshops and museum studies classes for undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals in the US, Latin America, Australia, and Thailand. At present, he is an independent museum consultant. He teaches museum studies classes for Kent State University, Juniata College, and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and serves as Adjunct Curator of Collections for the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery at The Pennsylvania State University.

Museums raises a series of pertinent questions.... Museums convincingly achieves the aim of giving a general summary of the key themes of the museum’s history.... I recommend this book to museum studies students interested in the history of museums, but also to scholars who would like to have a complete and valuable summary of the subject.

• Chapter 1. What is a Collection? What is a Museum? Chapter 2. Hoards and Tombs?Collections in the Ancient World (to 700 BCE)Chapter 3. The Temple of the Muses—the Conjunction of Objects and Knowledge (Classical Antiquity, 700 BCE to CE 400)Chapter 4. The Power of Objects?Medieval Collections (400 to 1400)Chapter 5. Of Cabinets and Kings?Renaissance Collections (1400 to 1600)Chapter 6. The Museum Enlightened—1600 to 1800 Chapter 7. Emergence of the Modern Museum—1800 to 1900 Chapter 8. Museums in a World Gone Awry—1900 to 1970 Chapter 9. Learning to Read Objects (Again)—the Post-Postmodern Museum

John E. Simmons has worked in museums since his freshman year in college (1969). Over the course of his career, he has been a zookeeper, collections manager, museum studies instructor, and director of a graduate program in museum studies. He has taught workshops and museum studies classes for undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals in the US, Latin America, Australia, and Thailand. At present, he is an independent museum consultant. He teaches museum studies classes for Kent State University, Juniata College, and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and serves as Adjunct Curator of Collections for the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery at The Pennsylvania State University.

Museums raises a series of pertinent questions.... Museums convincingly achieves the aim of giving a general summary of the key themes of the museum’s history.... I recommend this book to museum studies students interested in the history of museums, but also to scholars who would like to have a complete and valuable summary of the subject.

• Chapter 1. What is a Collection? What is a Museum? Chapter 2. Hoards and Tombs?Collections in the Ancient World (to 700 BCE)Chapter 3. The Temple of the Muses—the Conjunction of Objects and Knowledge (Classical Antiquity, 700 BCE to CE 400)Chapter 4. The Power of Objects?Medieval Collections (400 to 1400)Chapter 5. Of Cabinets and Kings?Renaissance Collections (1400 to 1600)Chapter 6. The Museum Enlightened—1600 to 1800 Chapter 7. Emergence of the Modern Museum—1800 to 1900 Chapter 8. Museums in a World Gone Awry—1900 to 1970 Chapter 9. Learning to Read Objects (Again)—the Post-Postmodern Museum

John E. Simmons has worked in museums since his freshman year in college (1969). Over the course of his career, he has been a zookeeper, collections manager, museum studies instructor, and director of a graduate program in museum studies. He has taught workshops and museum studies classes for undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals in the US, Latin America, Australia, and Thailand. At present, he is an independent museum consultant. He teaches museum studies classes for Kent State University, Juniata College, and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and serves as Adjunct Curator of Collections for the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery at The Pennsylvania State University.

Museums raises a series of pertinent questions.... Museums convincingly achieves the aim of giving a general summary of the key themes of the museum’s history.... I recommend this book to museum studies students interested in the history of museums, but also to scholars who would like to have a complete and valuable summary of the subject.

• Chapter 1. What is a Collection? What is a Museum? Chapter 2. Hoards and Tombs?Collections in the Ancient World (to 700 BCE)Chapter 3. The Temple of the Muses—the Conjunction of Objects and Knowledge (Classical Antiquity, 700 BCE to CE 400)Chapter 4. The Power of Objects?Medieval Collections (400 to 1400)Chapter 5. Of Cabinets and Kings?Renaissance Collections (1400 to 1600)Chapter 6. The Museum Enlightened—1600 to 1800 Chapter 7. Emergence of the Modern Museum—1800 to 1900 Chapter 8. Museums in a World Gone Awry—1900 to 1970 Chapter 9. Learning to Read Objects (Again)—the Post-Postmodern Museum