The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History

Robert M. Edsel

Sep 2009 · Sold by Center Street

About this ebook

At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe.

The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: "degenerate" works he despised.
In a race against time, behind enemy lines, often unarmed, a special force of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others, called the Momuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture.

Focusing on the eleven-month period between D-Day and V-E Day, this fascinating account follows six Monuments Men and their impossible mission to save the world's great art from the Nazis.

Ratings and reviews

The untold history of how so very much was given back to the world. It just was an awesome book and anyone who loves history like I do will enjoy reading this historic account of one groups journey and how they saved much of Europe's stolen treasures.

Very interesting. It'll give you a great appreciation for those that sacrificed to help save cultural and historical items from the ravages of war and the systematic looting by the Nazis.

A slow, almost leisurely, insight at what drove people who were trying to salvage art for the future during the midst of chaos and destruction.

About the author

Robert M. Edsel is the Founder and President of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, a not-for-profit entity that received the National Humanities Medal, the highest honor given in the United States for work in the humanities field. He also serves as a Trustee at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. He lives in Dallas.

Bret Witter cowrote the bestseller Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World (Grand Central). He lives in Louisville, KY.