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    <name><![CDATA[Tony]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Chadds Ford, PA]]></location>        
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      <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Sun Apr 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Apr 05 19:52:04 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Apr 05 19:52:39 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[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 attempts to trace most of the transfers of European art that occured during the period by individuals of the Nazi regime – including Hitler – from 1933 up to 1945.  It also tells of the trials of recovery of these lost masterworks by the Allied countries after the war was over.  From the day Hitler came to power, art was a matter of highest priority to the Reich.  He and other Nazis (especially Hermann Goering) were ravenous collectors, stopping at nothing to acquire paintings and sculpture, as well as coins, books, tapestries, jewels, furniture – everything.  Every means at their disposal was used.  In the early days, art was purchased – though at severe discounts of their actual worth.  Later, art was commandeered and transferred to Nazi control.  When the war was winding down, these collections were hidden in ways that were difficult for subsequent detection.  It was the job of various Allied forces – especially the Monuments Division of the American forces – to find and catalog these collections to catalog and ultimately to restore them to their rightful owners.  This was no easy job.  Determining the provenence and ownership of these various works of art was a daunting project.  The author manages to recount the activities involved in a clear and unbiased way that showed the magnitude of the job involved and the politics involved.  As I said before, this is a dense book.  It is less than a popular history; more of a critical study that will be used as a reference work that will be on the shelf of every art historian for years to come.  Recommended.]]></body>
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