The museum makers : a journey backwards, from old boxes of dark family secrets to a golden era of museums

Museum expert Rachel Morris had been ignoring the boxes under her bed for decades.

When she finally opened them, an entire bohemian family history was laid bare.

The experience was revelatory - searching for her absent father in the archives of the Tate; understanding the loss and longings of the grandmother who raised her - and transported her back to the museums that had enriched her lonely childhood.

By teasing out the stories of those early museum makers, and the unsung daughters and wives behind them, and seeing the same passions and mistakes reflected in her own family, Morris digs deep into the human instinct for collection and curation.

Part memoir, part detective story, part untold history of museums - this is a fascinating and moving family story.