This book provides a collective biography of the Mond family and explores the philanthropic activities of Ludwig Mond and of his two sons Alfred and Robert in the field of art collecting, the fight against early childhood mortality, the advancement of research and of higher education, archaeological excavations in Egypt and Palestine, and for the founding of the State of Israel from the 1890s to the late 1930s. These activities resulted in the creation of the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome, the donation of Ludwig Monds art collection to the National Gallery in London, the funding of the excavation of the sacred Buchis Bulls at Armant in Egypt, the establishment of the Childrens Hospital in London, and the support of many natural science institutes and associations in England, France, Germany, and Italy.

Thomas Adam is Professor of Transnational History at the University of Texas at Arlington. He has published extensively in the field of transnational history and the history of philanthropy. His publications includeBuying Respectability: Philanthropy and Urban Society in Transnational Perspective andIntercultural Transfers and the Making of the Modern World.

Introduction: Transnational Spaces in History.- Chapter 1: The Monds: A Transnational Family.- Chapter 2: Gifts to the Nations: Ludwig Monds Art Collections in London and Rome.- Chapter 3: Transnational Giving in the Age of National Confrontation: Ludwig Monds Bequests for the University of Heidelberg, the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, and the City of Cassel.- Chapter 4: Why Some Wealthy Give: Sir Alfred and Sir Robert Monds Attitudes towards Philanthropy.- Chapter 5: The Transnational Excavation of Ancient Egypt and Palestine.- Conclusion: Constructing Transnational Spaces.