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A review by wannabekingpin
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman
4.0
all reviews in one place: night mode reading; skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Author tells us the story of how he found his footing in catching art thieves. Where his education on art came from, how he trained his eye on it, and what seems to be the future of this field. All wrapped in a very tense few stories of how he retrieved said art, what it was like to go undercover in attempts to buy stolen works, how he had to authenticate items as real by himself, and then make sure that during the arrest: no harm came to the piece. A very intriguing tale of a very special kind of crooks who, in a sense, try to rob us all for clients who absolutely are robbing us all (as you have to be able to afford all of this, and I’ve some opinions on pathological hoarding of wealth).
My Opinion: A great book on recovery of artworks, how it works, how it doesn’t work. How it’s stolen, how it’s found. What’s the difference between grave-robbers, people who loot tombs and other archeological places, and those who steal from museums. Wittman is not stingy with the nitty gritty details, and isn’t afraid to show himself in a not-so-shiny light too. The only slight problem is that at times details went overboard, thus making the road to the goal a bit more streched than it needed to be.
About the Book: Author tells us the story of how he found his footing in catching art thieves. Where his education on art came from, how he trained his eye on it, and what seems to be the future of this field. All wrapped in a very tense few stories of how he retrieved said art, what it was like to go undercover in attempts to buy stolen works, how he had to authenticate items as real by himself, and then make sure that during the arrest: no harm came to the piece. A very intriguing tale of a very special kind of crooks who, in a sense, try to rob us all for clients who absolutely are robbing us all (as you have to be able to afford all of this, and I’ve some opinions on pathological hoarding of wealth).
My Opinion: A great book on recovery of artworks, how it works, how it doesn’t work. How it’s stolen, how it’s found. What’s the difference between grave-robbers, people who loot tombs and other archeological places, and those who steal from museums. Wittman is not stingy with the nitty gritty details, and isn’t afraid to show himself in a not-so-shiny light too. The only slight problem is that at times details went overboard, thus making the road to the goal a bit more streched than it needed to be.