More Marvelous Tales of Historical Artifacts
- Amazon.com “Editor’s Pick”
- A selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club’s Quality Paperback Club (QPC)
- Adapted for The History Channel’s smash-hit series “History’s Lost and Found”
“In an irresistible, edifying romp through the centuries, Rachlin uses artifacts as portals to the past as he skips from a venerated tooth preserved in a Sri Lankan temple, believed to have come from Buddha’s mouth, to the metal folding table on which the Japanese signed the WWII surrender documents in 1945 and the Apollo 13 command module that carried astronauts through a scorching re-entry . . . The basis for a new History Channel prime-time series, this sequel to Rachlin’s Lucy’s Bones, Sacred Stones, and Einstein’s Brain is a grab bag with something for every taste. The best sections are astute mini-essays that enlighten and entertain, whether Rachlin is discussing Freud’s couch for his patients, George Washington’s schoolboy copybooks, silver “peace pipes” bestowed on reluctant Native American tribes in 1814, Beethoven’s ear trumpets or ENIAC, the wartime computer unveiled in 1946, which ushered in the information age. Rachlin’s masterful grasp of the material, his employment of rich historical context and his storytelling flair make history come alive.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“From Galileo’s finger to Zimmermann’s Telegram, this is the literary garage sale every history buff needs to see.”
—The Quality Paperback Book Club Review
“Fans of Rachlin’s Lucy’s Bones, Sacred Stones, and Einstein’s Brain will be delighted to learn there’s a new collection of stories about historical curiosities . . . Each short essay . . . contains a wealth of fascinating historical information: beginning with the particular, Rachlin moves effortlessly to the universal, educating his readers while he entertains them. The artifacts he discusses aren’t just valuable collector’s items; they’re small, yet extremely influential parts of history. A wonderful book.”
—Booklist (American Library Association)
“Enchanting and informative . . . a fact filled filed trip to a museum.”
—Oklahoman
“Wild and woolly . . . It’s a fun one.”
—Dayton Daily News
“I know of no recent book that more engagingly delivers the fire of delight than can only be ignited by the collision of the elegantly arcane and the illustriously ridiculous . . . [a] charming collection of memorabilia and exquisite trivia.”
–Michael Pakenham, The Baltimore Sun
“A bodacious artifactual romp through history . . . Most of Rachlin’s 42 relics are fascinating enough to make his survey the literary equivalent of visits to a Ripley’s exhibit and a wax museum.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Published in hardcover by Henry Holt in 2000 (ISBN 0-8050-5683-1); published in paperback by Owl Books in 2001 (ISBN 0-8050-5684-X); 372 pages