Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: pt. ONE Empire of Curiosities -- 1.Transplantation -- 2.Island of Curiosities -- 3.Keeping the Species from Being Lost -- pt. TWO Assembling the World -- 4.Becoming Hans Sloane -- 5.The World Comes to Bloomsbury -- 6.Putting the World in Order -- 7.Creating the Public's Museum.

Hans Sloane was a young doctor from Northern Ireland who made his way in London and eventually become physician to the king and much of London society. In his youth he made a defining visit to Jamaica, where he began collecting 'curiosities' of all kinds. He eventually became the centre of a worldwide network which allowed him to assemble the collections which became the core of the British Museum, the National History Museum, and the British Library. This is the first major biography of Sloane in 60 years. It explores not just the impact of an extraordinary man, but allows us a window onto the moment when the meaning of collections and collecting changed.