In this book, Nancy Moses tells the stories of lost and found objects but with a twist: as well as recounting the chronology of events in each case study, she addresses the issue of who owns, and who should own, the world's cultural treasures. She adds an ethical dimension to stories about museum heists, insider theft, trafficking in antiquities, and Holocaust losses and claims. I was attracted to the book by its title and description in the publisher's catalogue. It seemed to me to raise issues relevant to archives as well as museums. Where do objects (and archives) belong: the culture in which they were created or the one in which they are now being preserved? And to what extent is archival value impaired when the chain of custody is broken?
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