Description

Book Synopsis
In Curating the American Past, Pete Daniel takes readers behind the Staff Only door at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to reveal how curators collect objects, plan exhibits, and bring alive the country’s complex and exciting history. In vivid detail, Daniel recounts the exhilaration of innovative research, the joys of collaboration, and the rewards of mentoring new generations of historians. In a career distinguished by prize-winning publications and pathbreaking exhibitions, Daniel also confronted the challenges of serving as a public historian tasked with protecting a definitive American museum from the erosion of scholarly standards. Curating the American Past offers a wealth of museum wisdom, illuminating the crucial role that dedicated historians and curators serve within our most important repositories of cultural memory.

Curating the American Past: A Memoir of a Quarter

    Product form

    A Paperback / softback by Pete Daniel

    £20.36

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £23.95 – you save £3.59 (14%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Tue 8 Sep 2026.

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Curating the American Past: A Memoir of a Quarter by Pete Daniel

      Book details

      Publisher University of Arkansas Press
      Published 3 March 2022
      ISBN-13 9781682261972
      978-1682261972
      ISBN-10 1682261972
      Also in:
      Exhibition catalogues and specific collections Museology and heritage studies

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      In Curating the American Past, Pete Daniel takes readers behind the Staff Only door at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to reveal how curators collect objects, plan exhibits, and bring alive the country’s complex and exciting history. In vivid detail, Daniel recounts the exhilaration of innovative research, the joys of collaboration, and the rewards of mentoring new generations of historians. In a career distinguished by prize-winning publications and pathbreaking exhibitions, Daniel also confronted the challenges of serving as a public historian tasked with protecting a definitive American museum from the erosion of scholarly standards. Curating the American Past offers a wealth of museum wisdom, illuminating the crucial role that dedicated historians and curators serve within our most important repositories of cultural memory.

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account