Established in 2007 by Marc Fischer (also of Temporary Services and Half Letter Press), and featured in the 2014 Whitney Biennial, Public Collectors encourages collectors of material culture—the kind that most museums won’t exhibit—to ‘open’ their collections to the public. Extending the popular website of the same name, this book presents a wide array of collections—some featured on the website, most newly assembled for publication—interspersed with commentary and essays exploring the problems and politics of collecting materials that may lack conventional monetary or cultural value.

Among the subjects documented and written about in this heavily illustrated and beautifully produced book: Swap-O-Rama flea market, 10 years of street flyers from San Francisco, Hardcore histories, religious tracts, friendship books, South African herbalist ads, QSL cards, homemade record packaging, tea bag tags, the late Chicago music documentarian and activist Malachi Ritscher, Mexican lesson sheets, and much more.

Editor: Marc Fischer 
Design: Projects Projects
Year: 2014
Pages: 224
Dimensions: 6.75 x 9 in. 
Cover: Softcover
Process: Offset 
Edition: 1250
ISBN: 978-1-941753-02-6
Language: English