Treasure Hunt: A New York Times Reporter Tracks the Quedlinburg Hoard

Great art treasures, real, imagined, or based on myth and legends have been the topic for countless novels. The genre is still healthy today with some great Authors continuing the tradition. Iain Pears and his Jonathan Argyll series is a great example. This book adds an interesting change, there is no fiction, as outrageous as the story is, it actually happened."The Quedlinburg Hoard" is the subject of the book, and several specific pieces that were stolen by an American Soldier at the end of WWII, provide the tale. The circumstances that allowed for the theft were unique, and had they been any different the objects in question and their theft would have been unthinkable.These were not objects like a Rembrandt, Picasso, or perhaps a Caravaggio, these objects included the 9th Century Samuhel Gospel and the 1513 Evangelistar. These had been given to the Cathedral in Quedlinburg by the earliest German Kings Heinreich I and his Son Otto.They were stored in a cave by none other than Heinrich Himmler who had hidden them; a US soldier who was guarding the cave then borrowed them for 40 years, and their places of residence during this time is incredible.However that is a very small part of the story. Once the objects are found by the Author and a German Investigator, who has been chasing them for decades, the conduct of those involved is beyond belief. These items were instantly recognizable by any Art Dealer for what they were, and that they were stolen and priceless. In any other industry this might have posed a problem, but with the Art/Book World shown in this work, who got what, who they got it from, and where, is of no interest. The only topic is price.This is a tremendous work that garnered Mr. Honan a Pulitzer Nomination. The book is a great read, and it will make many books of fiction on the subject of stolen art seem tame when compared to this true story.Exceptional.

This book had all the componants of interest to me; art, history, religion, and a factual story. I have never read a book so quickly, and recommended it to so many people. My husband read it after me and liked it just as much. I would be interested to know if there is any update from where the book left off. I saw the author on TV and was interested in the subject and got the book. I would like to thank Mr. Honan for a great history lesson!