Marvelous Tales of Historical Artifacts
“A museum in pages.”
—The Orlando Sentinel
“Every so often a book comes along that provides what one might call a condensed version of the Smithsonian Institution, that is, a guide to some of the odder and more amusing byways of historical research. Just so, in Rachlin’s diverting volume.”
—The Washington Post Book World
- Natural History magazine “Pick”
- Recommended in H. W. Wilson Company’s Senior High School Library Catalog and Public Library Catalog
- Selection of Barnes & Noble print catalog
- Listed in Best Books for Young Adult Readers, Grades 7-12
- Featured in Newsday, Part 2 (entertainment section) Cover Story
- Published in Korea (Sejong) and Germany (DTV)
- A selection of the Book-of-the Month Club’s History Book Club
- Included in The Reader’s Catalog (Second Edition) of the “Best Books in Print”
- Excerpted in Hippocrates magazine
- Parade Magazine “What’s Up This Week” book
- Feature articles about author in The Boston Herald, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Coral Springs Forum
- Inspired feature article by Richard Foster in Richmond Magazine‘s 2003 Sourcebook: “With a nod to the wonderful books of Harvey Rachlin (“Jumbo’s Hide, Elvis’s Ride, and the Tooth of Buddha” and “Lucy’s Bones, Sacred Stones, and Einstein’s Brain”) and the great History Channel TV show History’s Lost and Found (winner of the Cine Gold Eagle Award for “Best History Series”), we give our accounts of some little-known but fascinating historical artifacts to be found within Richmond.”
- Author appearance on The Late, Late Show With Tom Snyder, CBS Television Network
- Adapted for the History Channel’s smash-hit series “History’s Lost and Found”
- History’s Lost and Found won the Cine Gold Eagle Award for “Best History Series”
“The book . . . is either on the list (or very close to it) of the best dozen books I ever read. ‘Fascinating’ is a good word for it. So is ‘intriguing’. And ‘spellbinding’ or ‘captivating’ or even ‘beguiling’ if you’re trying to describe the book, because it really is a prize . . . I’ll tell you this. I’ve read, I suppose, far more than a thousand books and I never read a better one.”
–Broox Sledge, The Lamar Democrat and Sulligent News
“It reads like a collection of plot summaries for future Indiana Jones movies. Rachlin manages to give the book enough teeth to please both a history buff and a National Enquirer enthusiast.”
—Los Angeles Reader
“A fascinating trivia book . . . sprightly and often witty . . . soundly researched.”
—Library Journal
“Engagingly readable . . . but just as engagingly researched . . . Next to these unlikely true tales . . . the tabloids seem almost lacking in imagination.”
–Bill Ruehlmann, The Virginian-Pilot
“Anyone who has ever thought that reading about history is dull should pick up a copy of Lucy’s Bones, Sacred Stones, and Einstein’s Brain: The Remarkable Stories Behind the Great Objects and Artifacts of History. In this wonderful book, author Harvey Rachlin has found a unique way to tell us about the past, by relating the fascinating stories behind more than 50 priceless objects that have come to represent a particular time or place . . . This is a terrific book. Rachlin is a lively writer, his subjects are provocative, and best of all, he has discovered a very effective way to explore history. It is truly enlightening to see the most important moments of the past come alive when we examine the artifacts that have survived to reveal the stories of their times.”
–Dorothy Rompalske, A&E Monthly
“Clear and straightforward . . . From the most holy to the most bizarre (sometimes combining the two), this book covers the breadth of human and pre-human history.”
—Charlotte Observer
“Thoroughly researched and entertainingly presented.”
—The Boston Sunday Herald
“This book is perfect for learning about well-known artifacts and miscellaneous historical stuff. The histories and legends are lively accounts of who, what, when, how, and sometimes why.”
—The Bloomsbury Review
“A pleasant diversion for both browsing and reference.”
—Booklist
“This is intriguing reading. Where else are you apt to find the skinny on the Book of Kells, the Hope Diamond and George Washington’s false teeth in one handy volume?”
—The Seattle Times
“Detailed and authoritative.”
—Parade Magazine
“In Lucy’s Bones, Sacred Stones, and Einstein’s Brain, author Harvey Rachlin unearths the whole truth about the past by examining the stories behind the historical effects we all know — or think we know. Beginning in antiquity and moving right on through the space age, this book offers an irresistible look at the stuff of legends . . . With a traveling companion like Lucy’s Bones, Sacred Stones, and Einstein’s Brain, we can be sure that any voyage of historical discovery we embark upon will surely be an enjoyable one.”
—History Book Club Review
“By telling the stories behind some of the greatest artifacts of history, Rachlin has found a way to animate the past . . . From antiquity to the modern era, this is a unique introduction to some of history’s critical moments.”
—The Reader’s Catalog (Second Edition)
“A series of historical vignettes which illuminate the story connected to some 50 relics dating from antiquity to the present.”
—Reference & Research Book News
“Engrossing.”
—Science Books & Films (American Association for the Advancement of Science)
“Provides a series of entertaining and educational essays on familiar and obscure objects associated with world events and renown personages which history buffs and the popular reading audience alike will enjoy learning more about.”
–Steven K. Rogstad, Lincoln Herald
“Entertaining and enlightening . . . a pageant of human aspiration, achievement, obsession and belief.”
—Publishers Weekly
Published in hardcover (ISBN 0-8050-3964-3) by Henry Holt in 1996; published in paperback by Owl Books in 1996 (ISBN 0-8050-3965-1) and in 2000 (ISBN 0-8050-6406-0); 402 pages