Offerings at the Wall: Artifacts from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection [Hardcover]

Thomas B. Allen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1995

Highlighting a selection of the thousands of objects left by visitors at the Vietnam Memorial each year, a moving book pays tribute to the Wall that is visited by millions every year and to those immortalized by it.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Photos of some of the 35,000 offerings left at the Vietnam Wall since 1982.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The first offering to the Wall, a Purple Heart thrown into the monument's cement as it was being poured, presaged the medals, insignia, MIA bracelets, bullet casings, photographs, and flags from coffins that survivors have left at the Vietnam monument. Each night the items are warehoused and cataloged; this album portrays a sample of the 30,000 objects commended to the dead thus far. Photographed against stark white backdrops, the artifacts vary in overt meaning: booze or money settles debts; a letter reaches out to the silence (sealed letters are never opened); mementos scrawled with signatures and explanations maintain a tangible link with the dead. What unites the variety is the private message delivered in this public space, a message palpable merely in outline to strangers not privy to the individual pain. In spite of that ambiguity, viewing these photos conveys the emotional impact of the memorial that only a personal visit to the site can exceed. With an appendix of all 58,196 names on the Wall, this book is quite a powerful memorial on its own. Gilbert Taylor

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Turner Pub; 1st edition (May 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570360677
• ISBN-13: 978-1570360671
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,127,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have been writing since my teen years, when I covered high school sports for my hometown newspaper, The Herald, in Bridgeport, Conn.
I continued working at the paper while I was in college. In the mid-1950s I began working for The New York Daily News, writing feature stories. In 1963, I left The News, going to Chilton Books in Philadelphia, and then to the National Geographic Book Division. I began freelancing in 1981, but I continued contributing to Geographic publications.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most truly touching portrait of reality I've seen, August 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Offerings at the Wall: Artifacts from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection (Hardcover)

This book is truly amazing. I honestly could not put it down. Every time I read it, I felt like I knew each person lost. It's a real story of real life, coming from those who lived it. You can't get anymore real than that.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tribute, January 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Offerings at the Wall: Artifacts from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection (Paperback)

I sobbed through Offerings at the Wall. Sobbed for the loss of innocence and young lives lost. For anyone raised in the 1960s this should be a must read to understand and come to grips with the imapct the Vietnam War had on our generation. God speed to our veterans and to the brave young men and women of today's military still fighting for our freedom. Please take the time to thank a veteran for his/her service to our country.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book can bring tears to anyone's eyes., March 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Offerings at the Wall: Artifacts from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection (Hardcover)

Offerings at the Wall is an incredible book of the trials of the human spirit. It is like taking a tour through hell and coming out feeling some hope. It is incredibly personal. After reading it you feel as if these artifacts were left at the grave of a family member. This is one of the most valuable books I own.