The man who stole the gods: a true story of war, obsession and a global art conspiracy

In the shattered aftermath of Cambodia's civil war, temples that had stood for centuries were found ransacked, sacred sculptures hacked from pedestals, towering statues of Hindu gods and priceless relics of the Khmer Empire vanished. At the centre of this vast plunder, British expat Douglas Latchford, whose decades-long obsession fuelled one of the most audacious cultural thefts of modern times. From the Killing Fields to the marble galleries of New York and London and the private collections of the rich and famous, this book unravels a story of power, greed and corruption, and questions what you take from a nation when you steal its past. Drawing on years of investigation and exclusive access to the stories' key players, Matthew Campbell reveals how the treasures of one of the world's greatest civilizations were stolen, sold, and finally found.

Genres

History

Language

English

Publisher

Penguin Business

ISBN

9780241827932