The Illuminator53 reviews Brenda Rickman Vantrease, 2005 Wonderful first novel, a mix of tragic romance and history + B+ I enjoyed THE ILLUMINATOR and I will definitely pick up the author's second book. It's an historical novel told mostly (but not entirely) from a woman's viewpoint. There's romance (not explicit) and familial relationships as well. The setting involves the late 1300s when John of Gaunt ruled for ...             Loot, Legitimacy and Ownership: The Ethical Crisis in Archaeology (Duckworth Debates in Archaeology)1 review Colin Renfrew Duckworth Publishers, 2007 A well thought-out position on this tricky issue. I think a reader must approach all books on the issue of cultural patrimony with careful deference to differing sensibilities that exist on the issue. This book is presented from the standpoint of a very aggressive, European concept of patrimony, focusing (as its title implies) on the illicit ...             The Mercy Seller: A Novel10 reviews Brenda Rickman Vantrease St. Martin's Griffin, 2008 She didn't let me down + Good read. + Good Historical Albeit Biased + Well drawn historical fiction             Luncheon of the Boating Party36 reviews Susan Vreeland Viking Adult, 2007 In love with this book + Pleasant Diversion As an artist, I have to say, I have fallen in love with this book. Ms. Vreeland has conceived a beautiful palette of color and harmony with her characterizations and her stories behind this painting. I feel like I am right there with this group, posing for this painting. My hat is off to you ...             The Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy To Steal The World's Greatest Works Of Art12 reviews Hector Feliciano Basic Books, 1998 The most important art book in a decade + A groundbreaking study of a murky world Other books may relate how the Nazis plundered art, but this book actually led the world to do something about it. You know how you read in the paper all the time that some heir of a Holocaust victim is in a lawsuit to get back valuable paintings? It's directly a result of The Lost Museum. For ...             Who Owns the Past?: Cultural Policy, Cultural Property, And the Law4 reviews Rutgers University Press, 2005 Rises above the hyperbole + The below review is extremely unfair Who Owns the Past is exactly what it purports to be, a compilation of views written by people with a wealth of knowledge and direct experience in the intricate world of cultural property preservation. The Review by Amy-D above is unfortunately an ideological polemic that belongs in a blog, not in ...             As Above, So Below: A Novel of Peter Bruegel5 reviews Rudy Rucker Forge Books, 2003 My Favorite Book of this Year + M. C. Eschers inspiration...... + Painless History + Look deeper!             The Birth of Venus: A Novel273 reviews Sarah Dunant Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2004 OFF TO ITALY WE GO + A rich novel Sarah Dunant's "The Birth of Venus" was gift as I prepared for my solo trip to Italy. The gift giver knew I enjoyed books of historical fiction. This story told in a colorfully real way the streets and lives of Italian life in another time that I almost read it entirely before ending my plane ...             Master Pieces: The Curator's Game8 reviews Thomas Hoving W. W. Norton, 2005 Sharpen your eye for art-- and have fun doing it! + Master Pieces: the Curator's Game + Lovely Book for Historians and Novices Alike + Fun way to test your knowledge + A new way to look at art             The Golden Tulip: A Novel11 reviews Rosalind Laker Three Rivers Press, 2007 Very addicting and well written... + Not what the back cover said. + The Golden Tulip + The tale of three sisters in the time of Rembrandt and Vermeer             Girl with a Pearl Earring786 reviews Tracy Chevalier Plume, 2001 A Powerful Haunting Story + Loved it + One of the best books I've ever read + mysterious story, great taste + Great painting, good book.             The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities-- From Italy's Tomb Raiders to the World's ...14 reviews Peter Watson, Cecilia Todeschini PublicAffairs, 2007 Medici Conspiracy is amazing! + Important, interesting subject, worth slogging through imperfect writing + Fascinating but a little information overload + Great topic, well researched, choppy reading at times. + Great Book             The Painted Kiss: A Novel25 reviews Elizabeth Hickey Washington Square Press, 2006 Magnficent novel! + A fine debut + The best book I have read in a LONG time. + Klimntomania             The Rape of the Nile: Tomb Robbers, Tourists, and Archaeologists in Egypt, Revised and Updated9 reviews Brian Fagan Basic Books, 2004 Great - but find the earlier edition! + One of those books you can't help but finish... + A thorough & detail understanding of how & where the treasures have gone. + Excellent Book with a Most Appropriate Title + Great overview for beginners             Pollock106 reviews Tom Bower, Jennifer Connelly Sony Pictures, 2001 Art minus hollywood frills + Tormented soul and a brilliant talent + Best DVD Commentary Remark Ever + The Art Of Faithful---If Of Necessity Fictionalized---Biography             The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece (P.S.)18 reviews Edward Dolnick Harper Perennial, 2006 A good romp + A good, really fast read + I'll never look at art the same... Edward Dolnick has turned the story of the theft of Edvard Munch's famous painting "Scream" from a museum on Oslo into a great character study of the English detective who gets it back. Two mystery men steal a ladder, climb a wall, break a window, and make off with the poorly-defended painting. ...             Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads: The Culture and Evolution of Natural History Museums3 reviews Stephen T. Asma Oxford University Press, USA, 2003 Mummies, Museums, and Metaphysics + Bizarre and Brilliant! + The evolution of natural history museums around the world If you do not want to know the nuts and bolts (or rather, the knives and molds) of the craft of taxidermy, but you want to know about why people might be interested in such an activity, what happens to their exhibits in museums, how museums express cultural and scientific philosophy, and how we ...             The Egyptologist: A Novel126 reviews Arthur Phillips Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2005 The Magnificent Obsession of Ralph Trilipush + A fun and creative book. A novel, not a mystery. THE EGYPTOLOGIST begins on New Year's Eve 1922, when archeologist and adventurer, Ralph M. Trilipush, a young Harvard professor of Egyptology, writes a letter to his Boston fiancée, Margaret Finneran, to tell her that her father (who is also Ralph's financial backer), the very wealthy Chester ...             Duveen: The Story of the Most Spectacular Art Dealer of All Time5 reviews S.N. Behrman Little Bookroom, 2003 Duveen's divine + a must read for art sellers and buyers + Witty History Excellent biography of a forgotten man and his times - a man that changed the way Americans collected European art. Funny, witty and appallingly honest. A must read for anyone serious about art buying.             The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo112 reviews Irving Stone NAL Trade, 2004 A Very Good Read + Not bad, but not great. + Micheangelo + Reread it! + Truely one of the Greatest Men to ever live