Sharon WaxmanLoot

"Loot" is top-notch work written by a highly acclaimed writer for the New York Times and The Washington Post, a volume which delves into the longstanding and now increasing debate on the return of antiquities from museums to their countries of origin. Waxman, who earned a Masters degree from Oxford University in Middle Eastern Studies and who subsequently worked in the middle east for a decade, caught onto this cause and explicates it as only a person of her training can, making the concepts clear to the layman, describing arguments for and against in no-nonsense writing, and providing background information that is as interesting as it is useful.Waxman's work is somewhat of a polemic. (If the title doesn't make clear to you her position, then nothing else in the following 400 pages will.) And yet the work is much more nuanced than one might at first expect. Waxman maintains a clear position, but she won't hesitate to provide counter arguments for specific cases that she feels are difficult to answer. In fact, she at several places provides the arguments against her own inclinations and openly states that these counter arguments are difficult to answer. But make no mistake about it, Waxman feels that, on the whole, the world's greatest museum holdings should, as a rule, be returned to the countries of origin, particularly in cases where the acquisition is of dubious merit, where clear "theft" was the original act to move the antiquity out of its place of origin, and where the originating country can provide a safe and secure resting place for the object.Waxman's is a case difficult to refute. There are counter arguments, and many have merit. Specific cases (and these are, after all, ALL specific cases, aren't they?) can get tangled in detail, and often these cases work through the legal systems of two countries for many decades with little headway. And yet, when one reads how these pieces were moved from their original location to the famous museums of the world, the argument for return continues to stare us in the face.The writing in "Loot" is exceptionally well done. The story itself is fascinating. While we listen to the argument, we are also introduced to all kinds of related subjects: archaeological digs in Egypt, and who started the field of archaeology in Egypt; the history of the Louvre museum, the Met, and the British Museum; and more. It's a book worth reading whether you agree with Waxman, or not. The amount of research that went into the book is impressive, and much of it is research that the layman would never normally have the opportunity to explore and consider.I rate this text five stars for all these reasons, and even if you disagree with Waxman, you might find it difficult not to do so, either.

I had to read this book for a class i was taking. i though it was a great book to read to learn about cultural tourism, but could also be used when learning about history, archeology, art and much more. It teaches the reader about how artifacts are stolen or looted, hence the title from "unstable" countries, to be place in museums across the world. I liked how the book wasn't super biased, in that it explored all reasons on why looting is wrong, but also why it can be considered right. You will have to read to be the judge! Very educational, without being boring.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It brings to the light so many problems that are facing museums today. It gives you all the allternatives, but it do not make a decision for you. I hold a PH.D in the ancient world and I am aware of these problems, but I have not definite answers on who is right and who is wrong, and where we go from here. I just know more about the subject.

I wanted to love this book but ended up merely liking it. For those without a basic knowledge of the arguments in the museum acquisition and antiquities world this is a good basic book outlining many of the key issues. Waxman is at her best when drawing character sketches. At times she seemed to be fumbling for a point to the whole book and her end conclusions don't seem to be informed much by any of her experiences. It felt like a series of newspaper pieces, well-researched, accurate but devoid of the sort of passion and intensity that keeps a book like this entertaining for the reader.

Interesting perspectives.Countries of origin want the artifacts back, BUT.I saw a program on History Channel where Egyptianstate archeologists loaded a mummy with beautiful butfragile bead work in a pick up truck and literally destroyed the artifact.On the other side, local folks have destroyed beautiful piecesby chopping out parts of sculptures to sell to western collectors and museums.All very sad.

This is one of the most interesting books I think I have ever read. I can't say enough how well researched it was, amazing to know the movements, the reasons, the policies, the implications of why things are where they are. I which there was an updated version or a part 2 after the Arab spring and some other things have happened in the last few years.If you like the great museums of New York, Europe and LA you need to read this, gives such a great insight.

Very interesting account of the ethics and fights over "stolen" artifacts. Raises serious ethic questions about the Western attitudes about treasures from other cultures and places. Serious investigation of the attitude that says "we are saving them for posterity" when, in fact, it might be greed and willingness to plunder other country's history to make one's museum more prestigious. Also raises the question of what to do about these past practices and how some museums and galleries have responded (some ethically, some not so ethically).

Interesting topic and I certainly learned a lot but I felt that it was disorganized rambling. The structure of the book could have been much better. It certainly made me think about the issues at hand but it could have been easier to comprehend.