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In this intriguing insight into the work and history of a museum, V&A director and historian Dr Tristram Hunt brings together ten renowned V&A curators to tell the stories behind ten of their most treasured objects. ´Tipu´s Tiger´ (an almost life-size wooden semi-automaton mauling a European soldier), the ´Great Bed of Ware´ (an Elizabethan bed for 8 people) and a Shakespeare First Folio are among the featured highlights whose route to the V&A collections are entertainingly revealed.

Through these stories, this insightful history of museum curation - a world of careful study and sometimes remarkable fortuity - shows how the priorities of a museum are shaped and change over time.

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Tristram Hunt is the author of several books on British history, and the Director of the V&A.

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