First published in 1999, this volume examines antiquarianism which had its roots in Renaissance thought and was a popular intellectual and cultural pursuit throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The antiquarian work of collecting, compiling and presenting material which exposed the past was seminal to the formation of social and national identities. These essays evaluate the cultural and poltical implications of antiquarianism in the period 1700-1850. The volume also considers how the antiquarians laid the foundations of later museum culture and the discipline of history.

With a preface by Stephen Bann and introduced by Martin Myrone and Lucy Peltz, Producing the Past has contributions from Stephen Bending, Alexandrina Buchanan, Susan A. Crane, David Haycock, Maria Grazia Lolla, Heather MacLennan, Martin Myrone, Lucy Peltz, Annegret Pelz, Sam Smiles and Johann Reusch.

'Well illustrated, and beautifully produced, this book represents a landmark in the study of neglected and still controversial field of scholarship.' Journal of the History of Collections 'The essays in the volume are striking for the variety of their approaches to the subject and interdisciplinary methodologies.' The Art Book.

Martin Myrone and Lucy Peltz Preface by Stephen Bann Martin Myrone is Programme Curator, pre-1900 Art at the Tate Gallery of British Art. Lucy Peltz is Assistant Curator of Paintings, Prints and Drawings at the Museum of London. Stephen Bann is Head of Cultural Studies at the University of Kent.