Finders Keepers

A Tale of Archaeological Plunder and Obsession

By: Craig Childs

Narrated by: Craig Childs

Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

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?

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.

©2010 Craig Childs (P)2018 Hachette Audio

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)

"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)

"[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)

"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)

an archaeologist

Really made me think about the years I spent as an archaeologist. I did CRM and academic archaeology.

A unique, important analysis

Thus narration is well done.

This is a compelling evaluation of the sanctity and sanity of norms, policies, and laws governing the discovery and repository of artifacts. Maybe we should just leave them a lone.

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.

I roam the deserts

This book spoke to me. I roam the deserts of the south west. I find the ancient remnants of past civilizations and I believe the objects of those past cultures belong where they were left, in the rocks, under the Junipers, the cliffs, the dirt. I feel a very strong aversion to take the objects I find. I untimely dont want to bring the dead back with me. I can sense the energy of the people who inhabited the sites I come across. I walk over ruins and know that I am walking on the dead. I look forward to listening to other Craig Childs books. I first saw this book at the Walnut Canyon visitor center in Arizona.

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.

Not a clear answer anywhere

This book definitely made me think about artifacts and historic sites. Is history better preserved when items are left in situ? Of course, but if a reputable museum or collector does not gather artifacts, aren’t they likely to be taken or destroyed by looters? Absolutely. What about respecting the cultures which deposited the items? They may not have the resources to safeguard sites or objects.

The author focuses primarily on the American southwest, his stomping grounds, but the issues are universal. He is a bit self righteous, but that is mostly forgiven because he is very aware of the fact that the issues are not black and white.

Childs is not a bad narrator and author. My only complaint with the book is that I wish it was more comprehensive and discussed artifacts collected by museums a century or more ago. But that was not promised, so I don’t blame Childs.

Questioning my own thoughts

Craig Childs has again opened my mind further to the idea of who does this belong to. A stray piece just lying on the ground. Who can own it? The person originally fashioning a piece of their natural world as a tool that helps their own lifeway? And where do these things belong? In an accessible museum, probably the only place I could ever see it? Left where found, as the maker placed it, to decay and eventually return to it’s natural state, where nobody would see it? These are really intriguing questions, and perhaps there aren't any answers.

This book is a keeper

I am really enjoying everything I have heard so far from Craig Childs, this book included. Mr. Childs does a good job at narrating as well. Highly recommended.

Quite Illuminating

Well balanced and thought provoking, I enjoyed it very much! May be my favorite of all Craig’s books.