Customer Reviews

Lost Rights: The Misadventures of a Stolen American Relic

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From Civil War battlefields to the hot lights of the Antiques Roadshow set to a true crime ending I won't spoil, Howard gives you a front row seat to the action. The Bill of Rights itself also becomes a character, and it shapes every scene its in. If you've ever looked at a family heirloom and wondered its value or the road it has traveled to get where it is, you must read this book.

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.

If a story has interesting characters and a compelling plot narrative, especially that happens actually to have happened, and a setting which blends the familiar with the mysterious, the result simply can't be bad. David Howard introduces the uninitiated to the arcane world of rare manuscripts, including the dealers, archivists, collectors and thieves who handle them. Unlike the historically bereft "National Treasure" film, this far more interesting narrative course of events was all too real. Mr. Howard's comprehensive research and good endnotes demonstrate interest in getting the details right. He also demonstrates the right level of detachment and perspective; he obviously cares greatly about the story and the value of an original (1 of 14) Bill of Rights, even questioning the meaning of the value and how it does or does not relate to a price which might be paid.

Somehow, however, something is still missing. To be fair, the story is so compelling that I stayed up late to finish it. But it seems that just a few small tweaks to the organization of the story would launch the book from a good historical read into the realm of really compelling tell-all-your-friends greatness.

I'm not one who generally goes for nonfiction, but this book held me captive from start to finish!! This book has everything a good novel has; mystery, suspense and interesting characters (who are actually real!!) Very well written. Clearly, lots of research went into writing this. David Howard has definitely done his homework! Anyone that is interested in American history should read this book. Even if you're not, it's still a fun read!

This book recounts the history of N. Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights and follows its path through time from the Civil War to present. The players range from regular Midwestern folks to well connected attorneys, Antique Roadshow experts and "celebrated dealers of old things". I thought it was an interesting book and I absorbed some history along the way, but it was ultimately about 50 pages too long and its bouncing back and forth between times and characters sometimes left me a tad confused. It started out great but lost some steam because of redundancy near its end.

It is a first-rate tale of intrigue, greed, good intentions gone awry and, ultimately, good prevailing. It involves many of the good, and not so good, dealers in the antiques world. I couldn't put it down.

I gave this book to my parents and they tore through it and gave it back with orders to read it myself. I then ended up staying up too late a couple of nights in a row when I couldn't manage to stop. The characters are fascinating--I couldn't believe some of the decisions these people made!--and the suspense never lets up. A really fun read!

I'm a fan of nonfiction, but this story sucked me in the way few nonfiction reads do, unfolding more like a good action movie. The characterization is superb--Howard does an amazing job of bringing people and events to life. I really felt like I was in characters' heads, was in the room as events unfolded. It also gave me a fascinating glimpse into the world of historic documents--which, I confess, I'd never given any thought to, and would've assumed was a dry, dusty sphere. Not so! At least, Howard's rendering makes the antiques/historical documents trade seem enthralling. Who knew?

I was invited to a book signing in Waterbury, CT by a mutual friend where I had the pleasure of meeting, and speaking with, Mr. Howard. I actually purchased two copies of the book- one for myself and one as a Christmas gift for a friend who collects signed first editions.

I had previously worked for the local newspaper and was part of the coverage of events surrounding Mr. Pratt's antiques business and subsequent issues relating to this Bill of Rights so I felt that I had the background story already. But I purchased the book for two reasons- I like to read non-fiction and I wanted to support the author.

I was immediately hooked when I started the book and flew through it in about a week. I like to read but usually it takes me weeks (if not months) to get through a book due to my work and family schedule. However, this book was different.

Like I said already, I thought I knew this story- I couldn't have been more wrong. Mr. Howard's writing was clear and precise with well constructed characters throughout. The chapter progression was well executed with threads weaving seamlessly from historical perspectives to interviews with the main characters. This story went a lot deeper into the history of Mr. Pratt than I expected which opened up the story and invested me in the outcome- an outcome I already knew.

A very enjoyable read and highly recommended.

I'm not an avid reader of non-fiction; however, I really enjoyed this book. While telling a rather complex story based on a lot of research, the author's writing style makes the book entertaining and easy to read.