Nancy Moses, Stolen, Smuggled, Sold: On the Hunt for Cultural Treasures

This revealing study of treasures lost and found begins with the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer (by Gustav Klimt), which was stolen by the Nazis, but it doesn't stop there. Nancy Moses prowls through museum records, newspapers, and interviews to uncover the stories of such treasures as the typeset manuscript for Pearl Buck's The Good Earth, a ceremonial Ghost Dance short from the massacre at Wounded Knee, the theft of 4,800 historical audio discs by a top official at the National Archives, a missing original copy of The Bill of Rights, the mummy of Ramses I, and an ancient treasure from Iraq all objects that went astray but were eventually returned to the rightful owner. Athenaeum shareholder Nancy Moses has previously published Lost in the Museum: Hidden Treasures and the Stories They Tell, which won the 2008 Gold Medal from ForeWord Magazine. Formerly Executive Director for the Atwater Kent Museum, Nancy Moses is now a consultant for museum, cultural institutions, and community organizations. Reception and book signing to follow.

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