Written when he believed his collecting days were over, Getty recounts personal anecdotes, discusses his philosophy of collecting, dispenses advice, recalls his major triumphs, and encourages everyone to collect art. J. Paul Getty (1892–1976) was an American businessman and art collector, who viewed art as a civilizing influence in society. In 1965, a decade after founding his namesake museum in Malibu, California, J. Paul Getty penned a brief reminiscence discussing what he had become his lifelong vocation. He wanted to convey “the romance and zest—the excitement, suspense, thrills, and triumphs—that make art collecting one of the most exhilarating and satisfying of all human endeavors.” This book offers a fascinating portrait of an idiosyncratic and highly personal passion for art, which began in the 1930s and continued for more than four decades. The text, adorned with revealing anecdotes, covers paintings, Greek and Roman antiquities, and decorative arts and furniture, with conversational asides discussing Getty’s philosophy of collecting, as well as advice.