the sweet doom of the collector

The great collections are vast, not complete. Incomplete motivated by the desire for completeness. There is always one more. And even if you have everything - whatever that may be - then you will perhaps want a better copy (version, edition) of what you have; or with mass-produced objects (pottery, books, artifacts), simply an extra copy, in case the one you possess is lost or stolen or broken or damaged. A backup copy. A shadow collection.

Susan Sontag, The Volcano Lover.

This book, from M - and probably also good for O to read for his collections project.