The Monuments Men books is a bestseller that takes the reader on a high-paced treasure hunt through war torn Europe in the closing days of World War II. It is the story of the men and women who made up the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives unit, a highly secretive and little known group formed under the orders of President Roosevelt and General Eisenhower. Their orders were to seek out and protect our cultural patrimony from the clutches of Hitler, theft and destruction.
Between the declaration of D-Day and VE Day, the unit was operational and set to work seeking out precious art works that were being pilfered by the Nazis. Hitler was taking priceless works of art and what he was not taking for his collections, he was destroying. The powers that be had noted what was happening and were putting their foot down to save the pieces of art and monuments for mankind.
Adolf Hitler's systematic genocide is well documented and widely known. However, one of his often overlooked actions was the theft of countless of the very finest of artworks in Europe. He was collecting and cataloguing these pieces as well as ordering the destruction of other artworks he considered to be "degenerate" and not in line with the world vision he wanted to encourage.
This incredible book is written by Robert M Edsel and co-written with Brett Witter. Robert Edsel became fascinated by this chapter in European war time history after quitting his job in mining and oil in the USA and moving to Florence, Italy. The catalyst for the book came from visiting the many museums over Italy and wondering what had happened to them during the World Wars.
The unit was made up of both men and women who came from several nations and were drawn from professions ranging from education to museum curators and archivists. Risking their lives for our cultural heritage, these war time treasure hunters were engaged in a race against the clock with the bomb-riddled Europe nipping and their heels. With only their steadfast belief in the importance of their actions to sustain them, they achieved great things.
Robert M. Edsel has also authored Rescuing Da Vinci, which directly chronicles some of the research he undertook while living in Florence, Italy. After giving up his job in gas and oil, he left the United States to live in Europe. While visiting the museums there he began to wonder about how it had all been saved from damage during World War II.
The movie is based on the book and closely follows the excitement of the original tale. It stars an incredible cast that includes Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett. It has been distributed by Columbia Pictures with 20th Century Fox and will be released in 2014.
If you are looking for a thrilling tale that is intertwined with an often unexplored aspect of history, then the Monuments Men book is for you. History lovers, adventure buffs and lovers of a good, edge of your seat, story will be more than satisfied with this offering. Look out for it now.
Between the declaration of D-Day and VE Day, the unit was operational and set to work seeking out precious art works that were being pilfered by the Nazis. Hitler was taking priceless works of art and what he was not taking for his collections, he was destroying. The powers that be had noted what was happening and were putting their foot down to save the pieces of art and monuments for mankind.
Adolf Hitler's systematic genocide is well documented and widely known. However, one of his often overlooked actions was the theft of countless of the very finest of artworks in Europe. He was collecting and cataloguing these pieces as well as ordering the destruction of other artworks he considered to be "degenerate" and not in line with the world vision he wanted to encourage.
This incredible book is written by Robert M Edsel and co-written with Brett Witter. Robert Edsel became fascinated by this chapter in European war time history after quitting his job in mining and oil in the USA and moving to Florence, Italy. The catalyst for the book came from visiting the many museums over Italy and wondering what had happened to them during the World Wars.
The unit was made up of both men and women who came from several nations and were drawn from professions ranging from education to museum curators and archivists. Risking their lives for our cultural heritage, these war time treasure hunters were engaged in a race against the clock with the bomb-riddled Europe nipping and their heels. With only their steadfast belief in the importance of their actions to sustain them, they achieved great things.
Robert M. Edsel has also authored Rescuing Da Vinci, which directly chronicles some of the research he undertook while living in Florence, Italy. After giving up his job in gas and oil, he left the United States to live in Europe. While visiting the museums there he began to wonder about how it had all been saved from damage during World War II.
The movie is based on the book and closely follows the excitement of the original tale. It stars an incredible cast that includes Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett. It has been distributed by Columbia Pictures with 20th Century Fox and will be released in 2014.
If you are looking for a thrilling tale that is intertwined with an often unexplored aspect of history, then the Monuments Men book is for you. History lovers, adventure buffs and lovers of a good, edge of your seat, story will be more than satisfied with this offering. Look out for it now.
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