author
Charles Rowed
A lively early-20th-century writer on antiques and everyday treasures, remembered for turning the hobby of collecting into something thoughtful, practical, and fun. His best-known book invites readers to look at old objects not just as possessions, but as pieces of history with stories to tell.
1 Audiobook
Collecting as a Pastime
by Charles Rowed
About the author
Charles Rowed is best known for Collecting as a Pastime, published in 1920. In it, he writes about the pleasures and pitfalls of collecting antiques, drawing on personal experience and a clear enthusiasm for old furniture, pewter, clocks, and other historical objects.
His appeal comes from the way he treats collecting as more than a hobby. The book mixes practical advice with reflections on why people collect at all, showing a warm interest in curiosity, taste, and the small discoveries that make old objects meaningful.
Little biographical information about Rowed was confirmed in the sources reviewed here, so much of his life remains obscure. Even so, his surviving work gives a strong sense of a knowledgeable and engaging guide who wanted readers to enjoy the hunt, learn from the past, and collect with care.