Before the George Clooney movie there was the revealing and definitive book The Monuments Men, by Robert Edsel. I thought the book was fascinating when it was published, and nothing has changed my mind since.
(Recovered pictures at the Allied sorting facility in Munich)
Edsel is getting a lot of publicity because of the movie, and I hope it’s reflected in his sales and in the prosperity of his Monuments Men Foundation. He did an outstanding interview on Charlie Rose two weeks ago, then was on BookTV last week. He’s scheduled for an appearance sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Sarasota next month.
Parade Magazine published an interview with him in last Sunday’s edition. Of course, I thought the most interesting line in it was, “Probably the single most important painting that’s missing is Raphael’s Portrait of a Young Man, which came from a Museum in Krakow … ”
If you’ve read Treasure of Saint-Lazare, you know it’s all about that painting. It’s the story of a search that spans the Atlantic from Sarasota to Paris and back, and is filled with scenes of romantic walks through Paris and a drive in the Loire Valley — all in the quest to get to the painting and its accompanying trove of Nazi gold. I invite you to try it. Kindle, paperback and audiobook editions are available on Amazon.com, at http://j.mp/UKIVVi, and the paperback is available at Bookstore1Sarasota.
Treasure of Saint-Lazare reached #25 on Amazon’s historical mystery best-seller list and #45 on the Amazon France suspense thriller best-seller list. Thanks to you if you’re one of the readers who got it there.
February 18, 2014 at 11:40 pm
Thank you for sharing this. I am very interested in seeing the movie, but, will be more interested in reading the book.
February 19, 2014 at 8:25 am
The book was universally panned by critics and most movie goers
February 19, 2014 at 9:47 am
Harold, the book is ranked 4.3 stars on Amazon and I see very few negative reviews – hardly a pan. The movie may be something else again, but it’s highly fictionalized.
February 19, 2014 at 10:54 am
John-in all candor I misspoke. I meant to say that the movie was panned. I apologize to your readers and to the author. As you can see by the last phrase “by most moviegoers” I was referring to the critics of the movie. Harold
February 18, 2014 at 10:05 pm
I wondered if you were influenced by that book.
February 18, 2014 at 10:17 pm
Everyone who writes about lost art these days is influenced by The Monuments Men, and even more so by The Rape of Europa by Lynn Nicholas, a very detailed study from 1995 that has become the standard text. Another standard source is The Lost Museum by Hector Feliciano (1995).
February 19, 2014 at 7:08 am
I enjoyed the blog and the accompanying picture. That was really neat