"Thieves of Baghdad"

In the spring of 2002, shortly after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the eleven-acre walled compound of the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad was looted. It wasn’t the troops of the U.S. Marines or Army who ripped into the compound to pillage and plunder. No, it was the Iraqis themselves—some in uniform, but most in civilian clothes—who did the looting.

Thieves of Baghdad is a riveting account by Colonel Matthew Bogdanos of our nation’s extraordinary efforts to recover over 5,000 priceless antiquities stolen from the Iraq National Museum.

The son of Greek immigrants, the author holds a degree in classics from Bucknell University, a law degree and a master's degree in Classical Studies from Columbia University, and a master's degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College. An assistant district attorney in New York City, Bogdanos was recalled to active duty after September 11, 2001 as a colonel in the Marine Reserves.

Qualified only by degrees in the classics and law, the author was given the mission of finding the antiques and artifacts that had been stolen. Following an Indiana Jones-like entry into the compound, Bogdanos finds himself in the museum's labyrinth of galleries with broken display cases, glass chards, and passed-over artifacts. Boganos describes the difficulty of working in a combat zone under the guard of trigger-happy Marines, frightened and incompetent employees, and an ever-present media. He soon learns that the media had greatly exaggerated the extent of the pillage as many of the most famous pieces had been moved to more protected environs and other pieces had been taken by the Iraqis themselves for safekeeping.

Bogdanos' recounting of the hunt for the missing treasure takes the reader through a multitude of stories about individuals--both noble and venal; governments--both ruthless and incompetent; and mysteries that may never be solved . Throughout, the reader learns of the proclivity of the press to distort, of the UN officials to patronize and put off, and of the world-wide art community to stoop to greed and corruption to acquire historical artifacts from a conquered nation.

Recent donations to the Columbus Library Foundation include a memorial from Mr. and Mrs. William Ferguson in honor of Bob Koppel, a donation from Mr. and Ms. Dick Luebbe in memory of Pixi Micek, and a donation from Mary Norton in honor of Dorothy Legenza. The Book Review Club honored one of their former members, Frances (Fran) Henderson by a donation.

The Friends of the Columbus Public Library continue to recruit volunteers to “adopt” a stack of books and periodically “read” the shelves to make certain the books are in order. Please contact the Library Director (564 7116) for more details.