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January 8, 2010
Nazi Loot for Christmas
The first book I finished in the new year was The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. Quite a good survey of the northern European campaign to save and return Europe's treasures.
The author did a good job of weaving Nazi documents into the story - and the 'dramatizations' were all worthwhile. I recognized the names of most of the Monument Men - they were mainly mid-century famous art historians. The most important to me was James Rorimer, a medievalist who ended up as director of the Met.
The most interesting person, though, was Rose Valland, a staffer at the Jeu de Paumes who tracked Nazi looting thoroughly enough to steer Rorimer to the right salt mines in Germany to find things looted from Jewish collections.
Worthwhile.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at January 8, 2010 6:46 PM