Matthew Campbell

An adventure to rival David Grann’s Lost City of Z, and a riveting exposé of the plunder that still fills the world’s top art museums

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 center of this vast plunder, British expat Douglas Latchford, whose decades-long obsession fueled 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, The Man Who Stole the Gods unravels a breathtaking 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 – from temple looters and traffickers to the investigators and archaeologists fighting to bring the gods home – award-winning writer Matthew Campbell reveals how the treasures of one of the world’s greatest civilizations were stolen, sold, and finally found.

The Man Who Stole the Gods

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An adventure to rival David Grann’s Lost City of Z, and a riveting exposé of the plunder that still fills the world’s top art museums

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