Finders Keepers

A Tale of Archaeological Plunder and Obsession

By: Craig Childs

Narrated by: Craig Childs

To whom does the past belong? Is the archeologist who discovers a lost tomb a sort of hero -- or a villain? If someone steals a relic from a museum and returns it to the ruin it came from, is she a thief?

Written in his trademark lyrical style, Craig Childs's riveting new book is a ghost story -- an intense, impassioned investigation into the nature of the past and the things we leave behind. We visit lonesome desert canyons and fancy Fifth Avenue art galleries, journey throughout the Americas, Asia, the past and the present. The result is a brilliant book about man and nature, remnants and memory, a dashing tale of crime and detection.

Critic reviews

"Craig Childs understands [archeological] epiphanies, and he beautifully captures them...along with the moral ambiguities that come from exposing a long-hidden world."—George Johnson, New York Times Book Review

"Reads almost like a thriller, chock-full of vendettas, suicides and large scale criminal enterprises dedicated to the multimillion-dollar trade in antiques."—NPR, "Weekend All Things Considered"

"This is a delightful account of the complicated world of archeology by an author who loves (one might say is borderline obsessed with) the past... This nicely wrought, even poetic book about archeological excavation and the variety of people who are passionate about the past and its artifacts will fascinate everyone from high school students to professional archaeologists digging in the field. Highly recommended."—Library Journal

"Finders Keepers may be [Childs's] most tender and ferocious dissection...If you have ever ached to possess - or lost what you believed you possessed to change, time or someone else - you may find yourself equally possessed by Childs's razor-edge analysis and compassion."—Mary Sojourner, Psychology Today

"[Childs] is the love child of Indiana Jones and George Hayduke...In his passionate and outspoken new book, he expands his scope to a global scale to look at the ethical dilemmas archeology poses. His topic is the past, and particularly, its material remains. Who owns the past? And what, if anything, do we owe it?"—Anita Guerrini, Oregonian

Well read

I expected more. I loved his first novel about fishing in Alaska. This book and romance seemed contrived. I never figured out what happened to Marie. i found myself rolling my eyes and saying oh god! Perhaps more editing, it was long.

Very thought provoking

Good read for collector's and curaters and the state of antiquities and the dilemma of collectors and archeological positions.

So much to think about!

I love a book that doesn't hand me a direct answer but instead gives me the information and leaves me to figure out my own opinion. I became obsessed with the ethics of archaeology while reading this book. I talked to everyone in my life about it as I wanted to hear their opinions as well. This book does not cover all angles of consideration but it is pretty thorough and left me wanting to learn more. I'm glad to have read it.

Thought provoking

And beautifully written. Where should the past reside? Who should control collections, artifacts? Important questions being asked here.

Consistently good author

This is my second Craig Childs book. The first was The Secret Knowledge of Water. Finders Keepers is a very interesting exploration of the complex moral ambiguities around antiquities and archaeology, without taking sides or choosing an easy answer among the many players. It also benefits from Childs’ deep understanding of the American Southwest (which is even richer in the other book), highlighting his own experiences of both artifacts and the moral ambiguities he felt, on top of a broader journalistic view of amateur and professional “pot diggers”, private collectors, public museums, and professional archeologists, as well as historical context. I thought provoking book that will have you questioning your own assumptions.