Reviews
One of this year’s page turners. —The New York Times, June 24, 2010 Full story
Howard takes us on a twisted, sometimes madcap journey exploring what people will do to get and keep a sacred national treasure. Minneapolis Star-Tribune, June 12, 2010 Full review
A down-and-dirty tour of the murky, sometimes ethically ambivalent universe of the high-dollar historic-document trade, in which uncomfortable questions like “Where’d you get this thing, anyway?” can be dodged for decades. —Dallas Morning News, July 4, 2010 Full review
Fast-moving and fascinating. … Nearly every page of Howard’s story will leave you with eyebrows raised or saying “wow.” —Fayetteville Observer, July 18, 2010 Full review
Among the strange twists and turns is the fact that, for many of the 138 years since the document disappeared, its location was well known. … “Lost Rights” offers a thorough recounting of the surprising journey of a lost relic of American history. —Christian Science Monitor, July 6, 2010 Full review
Both an American history lesson and a detective story. —Raleigh News and Observer, July 15, 2010 Full story
It’s a story that has it all — a Civil War soldier who looted a North Carolina state house, shady backdoor dealings at elite auction houses, trenchcoat-clad thugs and a government sting at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center. —The Morning Call (Allentown, PA), July 1, 2010 Full story
This remarkable American story follows the long, shadowy trail of a single document, North Carolina’s wayward copy of the Bill of Rights… The tale pulsates with dynamic personalities greatly affected by their connection to one of the rarest, most influential and valuable documents in American history. Howard has produced a marvelously compelling read. —Publishers Weekly, May 4, 2010 Full review
Suspenseful and thought provoking. … [An] engrossing true-crime tale… In this story, obsession, greed, and betrayal stand against (though sometimes mingle with) wisdom, diligence, and honesty. It is human nature writ large. —Fine Books and Collections Full review
A pleasing combination of skillful journalism and shrewd storytelling. Fully aware of the incongruity between the noble sentiments of the Bill of Rights and the ignoble impulses he so fully explores, Howard introduces us to a remarkably shady land developer, a too-eager lawyer whose wife once headed Bill Clinton’s IRS… tantalized museum officials, covetous governors of two states and clever law-enforcement specialists in stolen art and cultural artifacts. Along the way, the author provides informative asides about the often sleazy art and antiques world… and the remarkably careless governmental archival practices that, until recently, have placed many of our historical documents at risk. —Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2010
David Howard’s Lost Rights is an epic ride through American history, a colorful page-turner in which the hero is a 220-year-old piece of parchment coveted by an eccentric cast of fast-talking antiquarians and innocent patriots, nerdy record-keepers and special agents in a cinematic showdown. Howard goes deep, creating an astounding narrative weave that captures not just the strange journey of the Bill of Rights, but the modern-day country of hucksters and heroes it has wrought. A truly wonderful read!
—Michael Paterniti, author of Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America With Einstein’s Brain
“In this tour de force of antiquarian sleuthing, David Howard gamely follows a circuitous trail through distant centuries and rarefied subcultures. Lost Rights not only entertains and enlightens us; it challenges our bedrock assumptions about what we think we have, and what we think we know.”
—Hampton Sides, author of Hellhound on his Trail and Blood and Thunder
“Lost Rights has it all—a historic heist, hidden treasure, deception, skullduggery, lawyers, guns, money, cheap picture frames and one very valuable piece of parchment. David Howard’s true-life tale of an original Bill of Rights stolen, lost, found and scammed reads like a thriller set backstage at ‘Antiques Roadshow.’”
—Bruce Barcott, author of The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw
“The book reveals—and untangles—a fascinating web of secrets and lies. At the story’s heart lies nothing less than the best intentions and the worst impulses of all humanity. With his compelling narrative, larger-than-life characters, and sharp reporting, Howard lights the darkest corners of this twisted journey of one of America’s most sacred relics.”
—Susan Casey, author of The Devil’s Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America’s Great White Sharks
“It would be difficult to find a more astonishing journey than the one Howard traces in Lost Rights. From a defeated and terrified Southern town at the end of the Civil War to a gleaming high rise in Philadelphia nearly 150 years later, Howard explains in riveting detail how one of our most treasured historical artifacts miraculously survived the avarice of men.”
—Candice Millard, author of The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey
“Here’s a detective story of the ages, and for the ages. Howard’s investigation is almost as remarkable as the story it uncovers!”
—Bill McKibben, author Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet
