NCW Libraries

"Ocean's Eleven meets The Farewell in this lush, lyrical heist novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums, about diaspora, the colonization of art, and the complexity of the Chinese American identity. History is told by the conquerors. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now. Will Chen plans to steal...

Our World is going through rapid changes and constant modernization. Yet it is also rich in tradition, history, and culture. The wondrous. The astounding. The offbeat. There are unusual activities that don't seem to fit today's fast-paced world. The first of the Vanishing series embarks on an exploration of seven Asian countries, their artistic culture and heritage; historic places; and natural habitats. These are the disappearing gems taken for granted,...

Traces the author's recreation of Hiram Bingham III's discovery of the ancient citadel, Machu Picchu, in the Andes Mountains of Peru, describing his struggles with rudimentary survival tools and his experiences at the sides of local guides.

"A major new history of how, between 1965 and 1985, African nations sought the restitution of works of art stolen during the colonial period, written by the most important and influential figure in the field"--

"Following more than a decade of research on various kinds of inauthentic Native American art, Janet Berlo presents a series of cases that demonstrate the range and complexity of the issues at stake. From Native and non-Native artists commissioned by Native communities to make replicas of original Native artistic works to non-Natives creating Native style art for commercial gain to uses of pastiche and obfuscation in creating artistic objects for...

As Hitler prepared to invade Poland during the sweltering summer of 1939, men and women from across London's museums, galleries and archives formulated ingenious plans to send the nation's highest prized objects to safety. Using stately homes, tube tunnels, slate mines, castles, prisons, stone quarries and even their own homes, a dedicated bunch of unlikely misfits packed up the nation's greatest treasures and, in a race against time, dispatched them...

From its discovery in the Columbia River shallows in 1996, reporter Roger Downey has chronicled the epic adventures of the skeleton called "Kennewick Man": first as a pretext for a media feeding-frenzy; then as the centerpiece of a legal circus pitting celebrated scientists against Native Americans, the Corps of Engineers, and the Clinton White House; and, finally, as an object of rational scientific study. The saga of Kennewick Man offers an abundant...

"The gripping true story of the bold and determined museum curators who saved the priceless treasures of China's Forbidden City in the years leading up to World War II and beyond"-- Provided by publisher. Spring, 1933. Peking's Forbidden City is tense with fear and expectation. Japan's aircraft drone overhead, its troops and tanks are only hours away. How will the curators protect the vast imperial art collections in their charge? A million pieces...