Lost Rights: The Misadventures of a Stolen American Relic

by David Howard

April, 1865. Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox, John Wilkes Booth fires a pistol ball into Lincoln's head, and General Sherman's army marches into the vanquished and shuttered city of Raleigh. Sometime amid that tumultuous stretch of days, an unknown infantryman rifles through the North Carolina Statehouse, hunting for Confederate mementos--but what he finds is no ordinary souvenir. He returns home with a touchstone of our one of the fourteen original copies of the Bill of Rights.

Lost Rights follows that document's epic passage over the course of 138 years, from the Indiana businessman who purchases the looted parchment for five dollars to the antiques dealer who tries to peddle it more than a century later for $5 million. The parchment drifts from the living-room wall of a middle-class Midwestern family into the corruptible world of high-end antiquities before its journey ends with a dramatic FBI sting on the 32nd floor of a Philadelphia office tower.

Part history, part detective story, part true-crime yarn, Lost Rights is a page-turner populated by unforgettable characters--the outrageous New England antique-furniture dealer, the real estate magnate seeking his next financial conquest, the folk-art expert who stows the iconic document under his bed, and the little-known historian who divines the parchment's most important secret from a faded, barely legible, 200-year-old notation, among many others. And, of course, there is the broadsheet itself--priceless, yet ultimately worthless in the legitimate marketplace. 

For fans of The Billionaire's Vinegar and The Lost Painting , Lost Rights is "a tour de force of antiquarian sleuthing" (Hampton Sides).

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Civil War, Crime, American History

344 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2009

About the author

David Howard is an author and magazine editor who has worked as part of teams have won four National Magazine Awards. He has been the executive editor of Bicycling, Popular Mechanics, and Organic Life, and has also worked at Backpacker and Prevention. He has written for many publications, including the New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Men's Journal, Outside, and National Geographic Traveler.

His first book, Lost Rights, was about the 138-year travels of an original, priceless copy of the Bill of Rights. The document was seized in 2003 in an FBI sting in an office tower in Philadelphia.

He lives in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost Rights is an enjoyable read. When the Declaration of Independence was first proposed to the original 13 states North Carolina objected stating that it didn’t go far enough to protect personal freedoms. This led to the Bill of Rights which secured those freedoms. It was adopted and one of three government clerks wrote out a copy for each state and a 14th copy for the Federal government. During the Civil War one of Sherman’s soldiers stole North Carolina’s copy and took it back home to Ohio. He quickly sold it and it was handed down through three generations of one family for the next 134 years. That’s the Cliff Notes version but Howard provides a very detailed, sometimes almost too detailed, account of the document’s journey back to North Carolina. There’s a salty cast of characters who play their parts along the way. Howard gives us a behind the scenes take on the world of rare documents buying and selling. I was saddened to read that far too many state and federal documents have been lost, destroyed by accident, war, and carelessness and worst of all stolen, sometimes by the people charged with protecting them though for the most part that’s an anomaly. Ironically in order to provide the provenance of this particular Bill of Rights several seemingly valueless documents were required. A careful documents clerk’s distinctive markings clinched it as North Carolina’s copy. Howard emphasized that though this physical object is important more important are its words and what they mean for us as a country and individuals. He includes a quote from a fellow journalist, Mark Bowden, who said, “Any nation is, at heart, an idea.”

I recently read Wittman’s book “Priceless” about his career in the FBI specializing in stolen art objects and his account of his part in recovering this Bill of Rights dovetails with Howard’s though Howard’s is far more detailed.

[Nathan Willard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost Rights tracks the purchase and trading of North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights. The story is vaguely interesting as a look into the world of antiques, documents, and books, but so little happens, so slowly, that it turns out not to be such an engaging read. Interesting items are raised and discarded (presumably due to limited access; I, for one, would have liked some insight into the threats made to North Carolina early on in the shopping of the manuscript), and the unreliable narratives of the main actors seem not to be reported out. I recommend listening to the We The People panel discussion on the book from 2010, instead. It gets into the issues in a much more interesting way.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book - tells the true story of North Carolina's missing Bill of Rights. Stolen during the Civil War, sold to the Shotwell family in Indiana, and put up for sale by a well-known antiques dealer, it was recovered by an FBI sting operation. A bit tedious at times, but great history and interesting players/caretakers throughout the life of the document until its return. It's a true life crime mystery solved with elements of history and modern day sleuthing.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome account of how one of our 14 original copies of the bill of rights was stolen during the civil war. Well written by David Howard! Must own for anyone interested in American history.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILER WARNING

An intricate account of a manuscript taken by union soldiers during the Civil War, and the many people involved in its 150-year journey back home. The author tells portions of the story out of sequence in order to build suspense. In someways, it seems it would have made a better article than a book. It was long, and sometimes confusing. An index would have helped, as I kept losing track of which character was who. Still, it’s a compelling story and has ramifications for both collectors and Archivists today.

One thing, the author never explained, was why, since they knew it was taken by a Civil War soldier from Tippecanoe, Ohio, no one has identified the soldier. It wouldn’t be that difficult to find which of the handful of soldiers from Tippecanoe was in a unit that was involved in the sack of Raleigh .

[Kevin McAllister · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminded me of that old saying "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive" I've read tons of books throughout the years but in Lost Rights David Howard introduced some of the most despicable and deceitful characters I've ever come across. And the frighting lesson to be learned from this book is that these characters weren't fictional. They were supposedly upstanding politicians and business men, who displayed sickening amounts of greed, and with nothing more than a few slaps on the hand for punishment, pretty much got away with their actions. Which reminds me of another old saying "Absolute power corrupts absolutely"

[Scott Burrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice journalistic treatment of an interesting story (particularly to me as I am pretty certain that I am the anonymous lawyer referred to on page 59).

[WHKing · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so looking forward to reading this book as I love American history and have worked in archives and museums. It is indeed a great story with intriguing history. However it took the author forever to tell this story, which made it a frustrating and maddening read. It took me way too long to read the book because its slow pace made me lose interest within the first 100 pages. I put the book down for several days throughout the reading when I lost interest. I had to push myself hard to pick up the book and continue reading it. I wanted to know how it turned out. Convincing yourself to hang in there is not what a reader wants. A reader wants to be glued to a story, unable to put the book down. Unfortunately, this book did not hold my attention. I skimmed the last 100 pages.

Author David Howard is a great researcher, but his writing style is too long winded. He went on so many tangents way too often that I sometimes forgot who was who and how they fit in the story. For instance, he presented too many details about the personal lives of the people involved in this story which I did not think were relevant to the story (e.g., marriages, divorces, hobbies). In addition, he bounced from person to person. This book could have and should have been shorter. It certainly needed a good editor. I would have had an easier time reading and enjoying the book if it were written in a tighter style.

I did learn a lot about the world of antiques and manuscript buying and selling. And, I was surprised to learn how much library and archives theft goes on.

I have reservations about recommending this book. Perhaps some readers will be thoroughly engrossed. I wasn’t and I wish I had been. The story about this copy of the Bill of Rights’ journey is not disappointing. It’s the author’s way of telling the story that falls short.

[Anson Cassel Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Howard has done a commendable job researching and writing this complicated lost-and-found story about North Carolina’s copy of the Bill of Rights. The book’s biggest problem is its over reliance on interviews, which encourages Howard to ramble off into trivialities suggested by his sources. (In his acknowledgments, Howard notes that the manuscript was once “embarrassingly overlong.” Now it’s simply overlong.)

Howard tries hard to make us care about his characters, but the most interesting of them are simply sharpers looking for the main chance in the shady borderland between the arguably unethical and the flatly illegal. One or two such characters can enliven a story; dollops of them are irritating and ultimately boring. Finally, I believe every book that makes historical pretensions deserves an index.

[Amber Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the book for me. The core story about one of the original copies of the Bill of Rights was interesting, but I felt that often got drowned in the mass of details of the antique dealers and people handling the document.
I was interested in the the document, I had little or no interest in most of the people involved—and there was really a LOT of details too those lives that I don’t feel added to the story or that caught my interest.
I stuck with this book because of the bits of history of this Bill of Rights but I found it hard to stick with.

[Linda Marcet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and was fascinated by the topic. Despite a demonstration of excellent research and the inclusion of material based on interviews with the main characters involved in the story, I felt that the flow of the book was a bit choppy with too much back and forth in the timeline. Still, though, Mr. Howard is to be credited with writing on a very interesting topic, and I look forward to reading other books he has written/writes.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as someone who loved "Billionaire's Vinegar", as the cross section of the white collar crime and history really nails several of my favorite subjects. Unfortunately, this one was pretty meandering and boring. There were moments that were interesting or exhilarating but ultimately it kind of just felt like a mess.

[John Lyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard made the story come to life. Interesting stuff, too many twists and turns to count. I am disappointed and perplexed that no further reference was made to the two letter discrepancy mentioned near the end. Sure seems like a significant topic to resolve.

[Jane Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early American Story

This is a good book. It discusses the theft of one of t the originsl copies of the Bill of Rights and its return to the state which had owned it. It is a complex story

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent narrative nonfiction with history and intrigue in the historical and antiquity business, with a little FBI thrown in for good measure. It includes also entails a bit of sociopathology. Thoroughly enjoyable.

[Cheryl Gatling]

It was an original copy of the bill of rights, one of fourteen copies, written by hand on parchment, signed by the original members of congress. What if you actually had that in your hands? You might feel awe at the history, as did some people in this book who lined up just to touch one corner with a finger, just so they could say they did.

But your mind also might start racing about what you could get for it. What would it be worth? Four million? Forty million? Unless it was worth nothing because you couldn't sell it. In 1789 each of the 13 colonies had received its own copy of the bill of rights. North Carolina's copy had gone missing when General Sherman's troops looted the statehouse (as they looted everything else) during the Civil War. It ended up a family heirloom in the Shotwell family in the north. When two Shotwell ladies got old they decided to sell it. They wanted it to be in a museum where it could be properly preserved, but they hoped to sell it rather than donate it, because they thought they might get some money to pay for their medical care.

Enter the antiques dealer Wayne Pratt, and a cast of many other characters. There were so many characters that I sometimes had trouble keeping them apart. The author does a very good job of humanizing all the legal experts and historical experts and potential donors who bowed in and out of this story, and in telling lively anecdotes of sidestory and backstory, but it was still sometimes too much detail. The pace picked up considerably once the FBI got involved. If there is one lesson to be learned, it is in this quote from the book: "Valuable old objects could bring out the worst in people."

[CC. Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The introduction to this book was so captivating, so masterful, so story-like, it's hard to believe such a tale actually happened! Who says great adventures only happen in the movies? I find the best ones are the ones from real life and this proves my point.

This is the story of one of the fourteen original Bill of Rights. There was one made for each of the thirteen colonies and one for the federal government. The one for North Carolina was apparently stolen during the sacking of Raleigh at the end of the Civil War and was discovered/revealed decades later in Indianapolis hanging on the wall of a modest home. Let the bidding begin! But, who owns it? The homeowner from Indianapolis or the State of North Carolina? Or is it really the missing document from another state?

A cast of characters-both villains and heroes-inhabit these pages and are fit for any Hollywood screen. The convoluted workings of tracing the who/where/what and why of this is so interesting and underling it all is patriotism and greed. I love how a story such as this is so full of scandal and intrigue. So much fuss for such a tiny scrap of paper! This was a very interesting read with a very sobering ending. I have definitely never read a book like this one. If you like mysteries from history, be sure to check it out!

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has all the makings of a great thriller - a historic heist, hidden treasure, deception, skulduggery, deft legal maneuvering, guns, fortunes to be made or lost, cheap picture frames, and one very valuable piece of parchment. But despite all these, Lost Rights: The Misadventures of a Stolen American Relic turned out to be just OK.

Howard's work is well researched and comprehensive, but he jumps from topic to topic with too much back and forth in the timeline. The reader will learn a lot about the world of antiques, documents, and books, but a few of the side stories struck me as adding more length than nuance or new information to the main story line. Indeed, some of those side stories (the career of the undercover FBI agent who has helped recover many stolen treasures) intrigued me more than the hunt to recover North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights.

Yes, there are many things of interest in this story, but so little happens, so slowly, that it turns out not to be such an engaging read.

[Anam Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea that there were mulitple "originals" of our founding documents. This book tells the story of one copy of the Bill of Rights that was taken from North Carolina as part of the spoils of war at the end of the Civil War. It was sold to a man who kept it in his family for over 100 years. When descendants of the purchaser decided to sell it, problems began.

The story is of an antiques dealer who wanted to profit from selling the document and his life.
It is the story of how important documents have been treated in the past and how they are now preserved. It is the story of duplicitousness and obfuscation.

It is a fascinating story where, in the end, no one wins.

I only gave the book 4 stars because there were a few times that I felt the story needed to move along without all the extra information. But in spite of that, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in American history.

[Joy Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating story of how an original bill of rights was stolen during the Civil War and eventually found its way home 130+ years later. The book opened my eyes to all the intrigue and egos found in the world of antiquities. I enjoyed how the author went from piece to piece of the puzzle without betraying how it all fit until the end; however, I can see where others might find that technique frustrating. Howard also did a fine job of interweaving other interesting stories of lost pieces of history into the main plot to illustrate how the trade in antiques works. I can't imagine having had a Bill of rights hanging in my house or office. I would have been scared to death for its safety. This is definitely worth a read for any history buff.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book would read more like a mystery novel based on the subtitle and the backpage description. There is good information in the book, but it jumped around the topics too much for me which hurt the flow for my enjoyment. Also, it seemed to almost be a biography about Wayne Pratt for large portions of the book, which I also wasn't expected based on the description. Finally, I felt a few things weren't followed up and left me hanging. Most notably was a a paragraph in Chapter 22 that ended with: "Blum had stumbled onto an important find." Blum is never mentioned again and the point of the descripancy never comes up again. I thought this was a plot twist, but apparently it wasn't.
I am left to wonder if I got a reprint that left sections out.

[Arnied · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea there were 13 copies of the Bill of Rights. And I had no idea that each of the 13 states at the time got one. This is the story of a copy that falls into a private citizen's hands...actually a soldier steals it and then a family buys it for $5. They keep it in plain sight for decades until an antique furnture broker gets wind of it. And he is a star of the Antiques Roadshow television program. The rest is a story about he and his cast of characters trying to sell it. The only problem is who it actually belongs to in the first place. And it isn't a who but a WHAT. This is a wild tale of twists, turns, revelations, skullduggery, betrayal and history. Through it all one rule wins out...TIME DOES NOT RUNNETH AGAINST THE KING.

[J Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a nice quick read that gives a good intro to the shadow world of document obsession. Dealing in antiquities of all types is fraught with danger and a crushing sense of loss and tragedy at times. The thrill of the hunt for rare treasure, and the desire to own a peice of history, can be tempting beyond belief. There are some great books about this such as "A Gentle Madness" and "The Fourth Part Of The World", and I found this one to be a joy to read if a bit lacking in depth. I will say that I had more fun with this than with "The Monuments Men" just from a stylistic perspective. It is a very "good" read if not a great one.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of like an episode of History Detectives. An enjoyable look into the sometimes dirty dealings going on in the back rooms of dealers in rare documents. The general public doesn't know much about what happens when stolen documents come to light and why they aren't simply returned to their rightful owners. I found the undercover detective work and the research to discover where the document had been stolen from to be interesting but one chapter was completely repetitive and should have been edited out.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a well-written and thoroughly enjoyable tale of recovering North Carolina's lost copy of the Bill of Rights, stolen during the Civil War. The romp is great for fans of American history, art heists, antique dealers, and ancient artifacts. Howard peppers the tale with engaging descriptions of the case of characters, amusing (but not distracting) side stories, and fascinating (though not overwhelming) details about wheeling and dealing in the art world. I was both charmed and educated.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

As is often the case when I read books by authors who write mostly for magazines, at times this seemed like an overly drawn out feature story for a periodical. Some of the side stories struck me as adding more length than nuance or new information. Even worse, some of those side stories (the career of the undercover FBI agent who has helped recover many stolen treasures) are more interesting than the main story! All that being said, this is a pretty quick read and has appeal to those interested in antiquities, Americana and American history.

[Anne London · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not my normal style of book to read or I may have given it "5 stars". I do feel it was extremely well researched and written.

There was so much detail that it was almost too much for me--but I skimmed over some of it and, overall, enjoyed it. (funny thing--I sometimes would go back to reread something I'd skimmed over!)

The most amazing thing to me was how little attention to care/safeguarding that was given to our nation's important documents...and how many have survived this poor treatment.

[David R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Howard spins a wonderful tale of intrigue and deception as one of the original Bills of Rights is looted from its home state (NC) and many years later becomes the subject of an antiques play by one of the biggest names in the business. Along the way Howard interjects additional historic conversations and springs the final trap with an amazing sense of suspense. The book is a fun jaunt for crime and antiques buffs alike, but raises interesting questions about the nature of our historical treasures and to what extent they can -- and do -- become commodities even in the modern world.

[Lillian Carl]

This is a non-fiction thriller based on the discovery and sale of one of the original copies of the Bill of Rights, the first amendments to the Constitution. A Union soldier stole a copy from North Carolina's archives at the end of the Civil War, then sold it to a man whose family kept it for generations until they decided quite recently to sell it. Which is when the fun began.

The book goes into way too much detail about the antiques and historical document trade and the larger-than-life personalities involved, but even after skimming some passages, I enjoyed the tale.

[Patty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting to the end of this one so can't really give this one a good recommendation. The subject was interesting. Its the true story of a lost then found original Bill of Rights that was stolen from the state of North Carolina by Union troops at the end of the Civil War. It started off well, but got too bogged down into legal details (for me). Happy ending or sad ending is kind of in the eye of the beholder on this one.