In 2004 John Money concluded a research career that spanned 50 years. He cleared his office at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA and returned to his near empty house. In preparation for retirement his massive book collection and many archives had been deposited with major academic institutions throughout the world. After all, these same institutions had honoured him over the years for his ground-breaking and often controversial work in the area of sexology. However, his remarkable art collection, one that encroached upon almost every surface and corner of his Baltimore house, was to find a very unlikely home... Splendours of Civilisation not only tells the heroic story of how the John Money collection came to be housed at the Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore, it also shows the collection in all its splendour. The late Michael King re-acquainted himself with John Money while carrying out research for his biography on Janet Frame. This in turn led him to explore the patronage of this particular expatriate, which began and ended in small town New Zealand. Here Michael King, in his last published work, documents Money’s life and places him within the generation of 20th Century artists, writers, composers and academics that helped weave the cultural fabric of New Zealand. This handsome book is illustrated throughout with b/w photographs and a 32-page section of colour plates. Includes photos of interior views of Money's house in Baltimore; as well as photos of noted New Zealanders Janet Frame, Michael King, Ralph Hotere and others. The colour plates include works by Rita Angus, Australian aboriginal artists, African carvings and Theo Schoon.