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Dec 18, 2008

Michelle rated it:

Dear Lynn Nichols,

I'm very sorry that I have had to give up on your informative, well-researched, and extensively annotated book. I'm sure that if I'd finished it, it would have been awesome, so I'm going to go ahead and give it five stars anyway.

You see, Netflix has this great new feature where you can download movies and watch them immediately. I'm going to watch the documentary instead. Yes, I normally prefer to read the book, but in this case I'm going to make an e More...

21 comments like (15 people liked it)

Feb 23, 2009

John and Kris rated it:

I really enjoyed the enlightening Rape of Europa; it is now on my All-Time Favorites shelf for the following reasons:

1) For posing the question: Ultimately, what is art worth? Is it worth human life?

2) It was different look at the historic events of Europe in the 1930’s and 1940’s all while adding to my disgust, disbelief, and hatred of the Nazis. As a Band of Brothers character says: “The Nazis appear to be bad, very bad.”

3) I am fascinated by art and know a More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Mar 05, 2009

Andy rated it:

World War II was, for a few, a historic opportunity to loot and pillage. And the theft of artwork, along with other forms of national treasure, was perfected and institutionalized on the grandest scale by the Nazis. Hitler was of course involved, but Goering was considerably more preoccupied. He stole, traded, and hoarded an enormous quantity of valuables (paintings, sculptures, tapestries, precious metals, gems, ceremonial objects, rare books, furniture, you name it) to fill his cavernous estat More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 14, 2009

Melinda rated it:

I have read "Rescuing Da Vinci" and also seen the DVD "The Rape of Europa", so I am now reading the original book that was the catalyst for the book and DVD. Lynn Nicholas is interviewed in the DVD and I decided to read her book and learn more.

******** after reading the book *********

Having read "Rescuing Da Vinci" and having watched the DVD "The Rape of Europa", I thought I would read the book that started it all. Lynn Nicholas, More...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 11, 2010

Susanna rated it:

This one has some interesting choices in structure, and reads a little as if Nicholas were suffering from "I did all this research, so you're going to read about it!" syndrome. But very, very interesting.

All about the passions aroused by art in wartime. How to protect? How to find (by thief or otherwise)? To whom to return it?

Also I love the factoid learned here that Hitler was reading a biography of Ghengis Khan during the sack of Warsaw.

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 17, 2010

Michael added it

This book was assigned summer reading when I was in high school. I was in the IB program, and we were going to discuss this book extensively in my social studies class. I hated it. It seemed so tedious and just packed through with boring facts. This is what happened to work of art A; this is what happened to work of art B; this is what happened to work of art C... On and on. So I didn't read much of it. I sort of skimmed. Really it probably couldn't even be called skimming. I was really afraid I More...

0 comments like

Feb 02, 2010

Jesse rated it:

I finished reading this book almost exactly a year ago. And in the year that has since passed, I have attempted to wrap my head around everything meticulously laid out in the 450 pages of tiny black print that make up this book. I find that I grapple with the knowledge I gained here more often than I could have possibly imagined. You know how people use solar eclipses to glance directly at the sun? Well, I have found that it is through this book that I have started to honestly fathom the hor More...

4 comments like (6 people liked it)

Apr 05, 2009

Tony rated it:

Nicholas, Lynn. THE RAPE OF EUROPA: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War. (1994). ****. This is a meticulously researched and documented study of the less-than-legal and outright theft of art works by members of the German Third Reich before and during the period its dominance of conquered countries. These include such diverse works as the treasures of Quedlinburg, the Trojan Gold, and the Amber Room at Catherine’s Palace. This is a dense book that at More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 05, 2011

Jeannie rated it:

This book is an excellent text book of the period of the Second World War and the treasures that were stolen during the same. I got weary with all the names thrown in that the Author assumes the reader knows. I was reading this book to learn more about Art and the book failed in this respect. I finally finished the book. It is an excellent reference book but not too readable to me.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 11, 2008

Leila rated it:

This is a fascinating book about the looting of art in Europe during WWII. I enjoyed reading this book because the subject matter is very interesting. However, it is very dense and filled with hundreds of names, places, dates, and details. If you're interested in art history and conservation, then this book is perfect for you!

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 07, 2008

Liz rated it:

Really, really enjoyed this book. I found the chapters on illicit art trading in Holland, art dealing in the Vichy government, and the last three chapters on the resolution of the war and after to be especially engrossing.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 05, 2011

Suzanne rated it:

"Art was very fashionable in the new regime. In October 1933, only months after becoming Chancellor, Hitler laid the cornerstone of the Haus der Deutschen Kunst in Munich, his first major public building project. Only later did the fact that the ceremonial hammer broke in his hands assume significance."

The Rape of Europa is a culmination of years worth of research about the systematic theft of Europe's greatest art treasures during World War II. The author, Lynn H. Nic More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 03, 2010

Josh rated it:

This is an impressively researched tome that still manages to tell a good story. I'll admit that the number of characters was so huge that I quickly abandoned trying to keep track of who was who but I don't feel that really impacted the book.

In general I'm fairly ignorant of art and take a "I know what I like" approach. This book still made a fairly deep impression on me; the treatment of Europe's art treasures by the Nazis (and, to a lesser extent, the Allies) in WW2 was h More...

0 comments like

Nov 27, 2011

CasadeSlutne rated it:

I know it's weird to put three stars and "I liked it" for a book sitting on my "gave up" shelf.

This book, along with "Monuments Men" that I also reviewed, formed the basis for an incredibly interesting and moving documentary titled, "The Rape of Europa." I liked the documentary so much that I wanted to read the books it used.

Monuments Men focused on the American part of the art story: the creation of a team of men chosen to protect More...

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Sep 25, 2011

Mrs. Crane rated it:

Having read and loved "Monuments Men", By Robert Edsel in which Lynn H. Nicholas also collaborated in, along with several books on Peggy Guggenheim, I expected "The Rape of Europa" to fill in the gaps that I felt Edsel didn't satisfy. I'm not usually one to complain about details if they're presented with enough background to guide you through the text, especially since it was the primary reason why I wanted to read the book in the first place, however, in the "Rape of E More...

0 comments like

Jun 17, 2008

Erik rated it:

Although it does often read like a laundry list of people, events, and places in art world of war-torn Europe during the late 30’s and 40’s, I will say I was in awe of Nicholas’s research into this often-ignored area of WWII history. His ability to explain human motivation and exploitation of artistic works of art in extreme minutiae is second to none. The description of the great mass of refuges from Belgium and the Netherlands who descended into France before the latter's fall – along with mas More...

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Nov 24, 2010

Lobstergirl rated it:

It seems like a lot of readers found this unattractively dense and fact-packed, but I thoroughly enjoyed it - as much as one can enjoy a book largely about the looting of art treasures from Jews and other war victims. Nicholas meticulously researched her subject for years, combing through institutional archives and privately held papers and interviewing various surviving owners of the looted collections. It's a fascinating story, full of villains and heroes, one that hasn't ended yet; there ar More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 01, 2008

Denise rated it:

My one complaint about this book proved to be a huge distraction. The author assumes that her readers know the biographies and intracacies of position of all of the players (and they are many) in this incredibly complex, interwoven history. In order to fully comprehend the course of action, one must have additional WWII resources or knowledge at their fingertips. From the opening page forward, the reader is dropped into a sea of historical fact. Before reading this book, I believed myself to More...

5 comments like

Jun 09, 2010

Sarah rated it:

If you can get through the first 10 chapters of this book, it's very good. Chronicals the struggles to hide some of Europe's most famed works of art from the Nazis. Also documents the theft and return of many collections stolen from Jews. Very interesting book that combines world & art history on a very delicate and sensistive topic.

Can be slow at times, stay with it. very rewarding read.

0 comments like

Nov 30, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

I tried, I really, really tried to finish this book, but I've been working on it for ages--well over a month. The concept was great, what happened to the great works of art during the Nazi occupation/exploitation of Europe. But the fleshing out of that concept fell short for me. Tons and tons and tons of information, too much--often jumping years within the same paragraph. I made it 3/4 of the way through the book, but just couldn't face picking it up again, even though I was getting to the goo More...

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Dec 17, 2009

Susan rated it:

This is an amazing book. Strike that. This is an amazing story. Those interested in art history, WWII, Europe, culture, or all of the above, give this book a read.

It’s the story of how hundreds of thousand fine art masterpieces and cultural artifacts were protected…saved…from the destruction of WWII and the greed of Hitler and the Third Reich.

This is a historical play-by-play of the war and the efforts of museum and cultural officials, and a myriad of others who risked More...

0 comments like

Aug 30, 2010

Lisa rated it:

This significant book about the systematic looting of Europe's art treasures by the Nazis is not an easy read, but is informative and interesting. For those who love art history and have an interest in the workings of the Third Reich, and those who tried to prevent its depradations, this book will be worth the time and attention.

0 comments like

May 26, 2009

Chris rated it:

Well documented research combined with good story telling. This is niche history at its best. If you want insight into the gangster nature of the upper levels of the German government and the weird culture that the Nazi's were trying to promote this book is a good start.

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Apr 13, 2011

Kylie rated it:

I was really looking forward to this book. But I was bored from the beginning. I didn't even come close to finishing it. I think someone who was very into art history would enjoy this, and it seemed like if she had picked one story and really gotten into it I would have enjoyed it more. But theres a lot of jumping back and forth and no real indepth story to grab me.

0 comments like

Dec 04, 2008

Becky rated it:

I had never even thought about the art in Europe during World War II, but this book was so fascinating, the lengths people went to acquire and keep safe the art works is so amazing, even if you are not an art lover it is a must read.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 21, 2008

Tara rated it:

i almost forgot that historical non-fiction can be a total tear-jerker. i got a little misty-eyed here and there when the author accounted for both allied and axis measures to protect art during the cultural holocaust of the 2nd ww. emotions aside, i admire how well-researched this book is, so hats off to lynn nicholas. if you have any interest or inclination toward this subject/era, its a good way to learn more about the 2nd ww esp. if you prefer an art history/cultural approach to the subject. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 10, 2011

Carol rated it:

Wow, what a wealth of information about the history of the looting, sale, and hiding places of the great works of art in Europe during WW11. The mystery of many of these priceless objects continues today. Fascinating and in depth study.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 20, 2009

Mary rated it:

Very informative, though it does tend to drag. All in all it's written very well and researched comprehensively; in my opinion this is the definitive work on WWII art plunder. If the topic is of interest to you, you're likely to enjoy reading the book.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jun 20, 2011

Raimo rated it:

A fascinating history of the large-scale, yet common, thievery of the 3rd Reich. These monsters who knew nothing of beauty stole art and artifacts by the train load and Ms. Nicholas lays it all out in interesting fashion.

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Sep 05, 2009

Beth rated it:

A thorough examination of the Nazi looting of the art treasures of Europe including purges of 'degenerate art' (basically Picasso, Matisse, et al).
There is also a very interesting film covering the topic.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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