A classic now back in print and enriched with new imagery, James J.
Rorimer's riveting first-hand account takes readers on a treasure hunt
as he follows the Allied troops across France and Germany to save
Nazi-stolen masterpieces of art.
James J. Rorimer, former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
became a leading figure in the art recovery unit known as the Monuments
Men, an elite group imbedded in the US Army, who risked their lives
during World War II to save Europe's greatest artworks from Hitler's
grasp. In the film Monuments Men, Matt Damon's character is based on
Rorimer as he embarks on the world's most dangerous real-life hunt for
stolen artworks with the goal of locating, seizing, and returning the
works to their original holders, including museums and private
collectors.
This new edition of a book first published in 1950 includes the original
illustrations from the first edition plus a wealth of new imagery and
ephemera uncovered during extensive research, including WWII
photo-graphs, many taken by Rorimer himself, that are accompanied by
gorgeous reproductions of many of the Old Masters Rorimer helped save by
artists such as Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, Bruegel, Vermeer, Goya,
Velazquez, and van Eyck. Maps created specially for this volume, and
other facts about WWII history and geography, add new dimension to a
remarkable story of courage, perseverance, and ultimately, triumph.
