The book consists of specific chapters devoted to the many different types of collectible stuff we might be saving. It talks about the materials they are made of, the risks your stuff faces and how to take care of family treasures.
Along with great tips about the care of your stuff, the book is full of short, fun-to-read stories behind the scenes of the Smithsonian. For instance the headache of Warhol's collage (it had to be re-built because of the original materials used) or how the backside of William H. Johnson's paintings might actually be paintings by his former (schoolchildren) students.
Although some of the tips are a little over the top for me -- such as building a box to store an individual Christmas ornament -- most are practical and easy to implement for the average collector.
The Smithsonian is America's attic and Saving Stuff covers just about everything we could or would find in our attic. "Don's Rules" in each chapter tell us how best to display, clean, preserve, store and handle our stuff.
But what I like best is the chapter "Saving the Stuff Only a Parent Could Love", which includes children's artwork, a time capsule and even macaroni mosaics. Finally someone who recognizes what these mementos mean for us, how something doesn't need to be valuable to have value.
This is a book that I happened across by accident and it's already one of my best book buys this year!
