The Monuments Men

Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History

By: Robert M. Edsel, Bret Witter

Narrated by: Jeremy Davidson

Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Now a major motion film!

At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloging the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: "degenerate" works he despised.

In a race against time, behind enemy lines, often unarmed, a special force of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others, called the Monuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture.

Focusing on the 11-month period between D-Day and V-E Day, this fascinating account follows six Monuments Men and their impossible mission to save the world's great art from the Nazis.

©2009 Robert M. Edsel (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"The story is both engaging and inspiring. In the midst of a total war, armies systematically sought to mitigate cultural loss." ( Publishers Weekly)

"[Narrator Jeremy Davidson] varies the pacing effectively, based on the nature of the text. He speeds up slightly during exciting action-filled sequences. He reads letters and documents with a flatter tone, making it easy for listeners to discern when the document stops and the author's words resume. He also gives a slight but not intrusive or cartoonish British accent to quotations by Britishers." ( AudioFile)

Great look at WWII from a different perspective.

Great look at WWII from a different perspective. I found it very interesting and fascinating what the Germans did with the paintings and art work. I could listen and learn much more about this topic.

Engaging story and narrator

What made the experience of listening to The Monuments Men the most enjoyable?

It moves at a good pace: there's few lulls, as there often are with historical accounts.

Important history lesson forgotten with Iraq

In WW II we were heroes because we, for the most part, acted with integrity. Sixty years later, in this age of "I got mine" our leaders did not act with integrity, and we as a nation, are viewed with suspicion. This has allowed ISIS and other evil people to exploit our behavior and perpetrate their agendas.
Shame on us for not recognizing the lessons and need to study history!

A travel through the art recovery side of WWII

Having just returned from the Netherlands and Belgium this account of the recovery of art during WWII was even more fascinating. We owe so much to these men who recovered so much art so we could enjoy it today.

Thrilling!

The book was superbly entertaining and educational. I’ve watched the movie several times but the book brings the story to life. Well done!

A beautiful piece of history

The accents are TERRIBLE, but the story is great. It’s well told & very interesting. The author does a good job of including the humanity & multifaceted nature of the monuments men & of the people they encounter.

Different than the movie

What did you love best about The Monuments Men?

Watched the movie first. Quite a bit different. Great book but did drag on a little. Overall I enjoyed it quite a lot and some very good history also.

What does Jeremy Davidson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I like to hear books. It brings it to life better.

A SUPERB READ AND A HECK OF AN INTERESTING STORY!

What did you love best about The Monuments Men?

This was a gripping tale about the greatest assault on human culture ever perpetrated, and how a small group of incredibly brave individuals went above and beyond to rescue some of the greatest works of art ever created.

Any additional comments?

Couldn't put this one down! I've read some great books on the history of World War II, but this one stands out for the uniqueness of the story and the compelling outcome of its central figures. A must read for anyone for any serious student of history and the arts.

Something I knew nothing about

I had no idea this was going on during WWII. I'm glad the author researched and shared this story with us. The forward alone is worth the price of this book. You can look up images of the art works he writes about, to understand the scale of their project. I didn't enjoy the movie at all, and am glad I read the book first.

What a history lesson this book is.

A lot of true factual history in this book, from a very sad time in our history or the modern world. These men worked so hard and endangered themselves to save some of the most percious works of arts of all kinds.
The movie was good; the book goes into so much more detail.