This paper aims to examine the role played by collecting in a productive academic career.
The methodology is autobiographic and bibliographic recollections about the collecting of advertising books, notes, advertisements, documents and ephemera.
Collecting facilitated diverse forms of activities and academic contributions: many scholarly papers, archives, illustrated presentations, museum displays, documentary films, art gallery shows, theatrical productions, governmental reports, CDs, DVDs, web sites, and much involvement in litigation and regulatory hearings.
The scale and variety of results may be limited to domains with a clear public interest and contemporary regulatory activity.
The paper offers a unique demonstration of the potential for antiquarian interests and hobbies to be of academic value and public interest.
