Professor Thomson, the Director of the world-respected Oxford University Museum, questions the role that today's museums have to play in contemporary society and uncovers the paradox of the modern collection in this fascinating and challenging work.

Our nation's museums are physical manifestations of our culture and history, dynamic entities in which we not only preserve the past and interpret the present, but where we also launch our dreams for the future. They are vitally important, so why then are many museums seriously short of funds and some failing?

We find ourselves caught in a dilemma, wanting to preserve and utilise as much as possible of our cultural and natural heritage but being unable to save it all. In this book, Professor Thomson examines the glories and tribulations of museums and asks some probing and inconvenient questions.