Uncovering the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History: The Heroic Monuments Men and their Fight Against Nazi Thieves

Amazon Customer: I liked the way Edsel told the story of how art and culture were saved by weaving the story around the stories of its saviors .
What an eclectic yet connected group, dedicated to the preservation of western culture.

United States on Jan 21, 2024

Amazon Customer: We all should remember the past and pass it on

United States on Jan 14, 2024

Janie U: I saw this film in the cinema several years ago and bought the book as a gift for my husband. He said it was great so I decided to read it too, but the book had languished on my shelf for some time. Having picked it up now though I was curious to see more about the real story with the Hollywood glamour taken out.
There is plenty of explanation about the backgrounds of the individuals involved. They all come from artistic worlds to some degree and relished the opportunity to have a part in saving the culture heritage of Europe.
Conflict of many kinds is at the heart of this book. There is the actual fighting against the Germans and also the dilemma of trying not to cause any more damage than is absolutely necessary. It was one of the jobs of the Monuments Men to keep reminding everyone of their obligations to the fabric of the countries they were saving.
A lot is written about World War II but I've never read so much detail about the advance of the troops across Europe after D day. The winter of 1944/5 created dreadful conditions for the men and this author describes the conditions perfectly - I had complete understanding without any overwhelming drama.
Throughout the...

United Kingdom on Apr 18, 2016

AG102886: Robert Edsel's very factual account of what it took a group of extraordinary (yet unseeingly ordinary people) to recover thousands of years of glorious art work during the Second World War, is more astounding a tale than any of the recent publications claim to be. Chronologically arranged events with a very cause and effect treatment to the narrative makes this book what one can easily summarize as 'Unputdownable History'.

Thoroughly glad that I came across this piece of work and cannot wait to read his other works.

PS: Do not watch the movie; it is a sadistic joke compared to the book!!

India on Jan 16, 2015

María Eugenia Rubio Fernaz: De fácil lectura, aunque sea en la lengua original. Además, con el Kindle es muy sencillo utilizar su diccionario.
El tema del que trata me parece muy interesante porque quizá no le damos la importancia suficiente a la labor de estos soldados, pero es cierto que sin ellos nuestro mundo sería diferente.

Spain on Jan 11, 2015

Mme.Bronwen custance: If you enjoy factual history, this is a great book which tells an incredible story.
It is not a novel, it's more of a documentary. I found it fascinating and inspiring.

France on Nov 03, 2014

Phred: Short note: If you come to this book from the movie, prepare to be frustrated. The movie is entirely entertainment. The storyline and the facts herein related almost never coincide.

I have been hesitating between 3 and 4 stars for this book. It is not very good history and the writers, Edsel and Witter clearly had a future movie in mind. The final give away was the: Cast of Characters" section near the end. There is no real reason for this list and no one listed is a `character" these are all people, a very few still living. The four stars are justified because the decision to make this more of a popular history than an academic history is insufficient cause to round down. Count this review as a 3.5 star, rounded up.

Second short note: Many books reserve space at the back to advertise more books by the writer or the publisher's list. My paperback copy uses this space to promote the Monuments Men Foundation and The New Orleans WWII Museum. Two worthy and appropriate non-profits. Several people should be proud of this decision.

Among the numberless evils that were executed by those following and promoting Hitler's sickness was a systematic, deliberate and...

United States on May 17, 2014

Gerry: This book clearly could have been another 200 pages and it still would have kept me interested. I was a little weary at first of reading this book when I considered how many reviews had been completed ahead of me. Ironically, on my old spreadsheet/workbook I used to keep - this book was placed there on the "old list" in 2010. It would seem now it has notoriety as a result of the movie that is currently in movie theatre's around the country. Lieutenant George Stout was a U.S. Navy Officer assigned to the U.S. First and Twelfth Army; a simple annotation to his rank and photo in the beginning of the book would have been appreciated - I kept looking at the "rail road tracks" on his helmet and couldn't understand why he was being called "Lieutenant" when I believed him to be "Captain". Blame this small find on my USMC mentality for military detail; it really is no big deal to the story line nor the book overall.

The first thing I personally thought of before I opened up a page to this book was the Battle for Monte Cassino. This battle within the Gustav Line to this day (as with all other parts of the battle for the Gustav Line) simply is a great battle to study and from both the...

United States on Mar 05, 2014

x: This book was a fascinating read….We are very appreciative of the Military Officials and Governments who assembled the amazing international group of talented people who were able to track down and rescue some of humankind's most beautiful transportable creations.
Today, with the high cost of protection, and the seeming lack of respect for cultural tradition and values, we are witnessing the total destruction of the worlds' treasures - BAMI YAN, the scrolls and tombs in TIMBUKTU, the STELE of ETHIOPIA, etc…
It is estimated by some that 98% of the worlds cultural resources will be destroyed by mid 2100 from population growth and encroachment and wars. A sad statement….
Will civilization become similar to Mad Max or Waterworld???

Canada on Nov 17, 2013