Keeping Their Marbles

The question of how best to protect the world's cultural heritage, and what role museums, nations states, and international bodies play in doing so, or in not doing so, is a vexed one. And in the time of IS, it is an urgent one. Tiffany Jenkins sets out a clear, compelling, and at times controversial case for, and sometimes against, museums as repositories and interpreters of the past in a time of nation building. She argues that we are asking too much of our museums, that we want them to serve narrow ideological purposes of cultural and political identity. There is much to agree with in this argument, and of course, much with which to disagree. That's what makes this book a must-read. * James Cuno, art historian, author, and President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust * Anyone who thinks that issues of cultural property and repatriation are simple should read this book. Jenkins elegantly explores the complexity of individual cases such as the Elgin Marbles and of the big overarching question: who owns culture? * Mary Beard, author of SPQR: A history of Ancient Rome * Jenkins skilfully critiques the manifold issues that beleaguer museums today. * David Lowenthal, Evening Standard * [Jenkins] elegantly lines up the arguments and provides careful, balanced and well-considered responses. * Adrian Spooner, Classics for All * Jenkin's book provides a welcome introduction to some of the questions facing museums today. * William St Clair, Literary Review * clear, informed and well-referenced ... Specialists, and anyone with an interest in contemporary culture, can equally enjoy and learn from this calm, balanced and respectful review, in a field distinguished more by polemic than wisdom. * Mike Pitts, British Archaeology * Jenkins does an excellent job of portraying the extreme reactions elicited by repatriation conversations. * David Hurst Thomas, Nature * [An] eloquent defence of museums ... The arguments in this book are well-considered and not just one-sided ... A well-researched and thought-provoking take on a very complex and controversial subject. Using an array of captivating examples, the book addresses a range of broader heritage issues such as treatment of human remains, the role of museums today and how to protect the past. * Lucia Marchini, Minerva * a potted but vivid history * Art Newspaper * [Jenkins] has much of interest to say about the development of museums and their changing ideology. * Peter Jones, BBC History magazine * Tiffany Jenkins applies her considerable experience of cultural policy to construct an excellent survey ... Her level-headed and balanced book ... is a valuable contribution to the international debate, and will enrich audiences and scholars for a long time to come. * Mark Fisher, Spectator * An outstanding achievement, clear-headed, wide-ranging and incisive. * John Carey, The Sunday Times * This book is both a lucid account of how the great world museums came by their treasures and a robust argument as to why (human remains such as bones aside) they should keep them. * Michael Prodger, RA Magazine * The dubious means by which museum collections were gathered has fuelled the demands for treasures to be repatriated. Surely they ought to be returned? No, says Tiffany Jenkins, a culture writer, and she marshals a powerful case. * Robbie Millen, The Times * Brilliant and fascinating * James Delingpole, Spectator * Ms. Jenkins has produced a courageous and well-argued book; the howls you hear in the background are those of the contrition crowd. * Wall Street Journal * Books of the year 2016 * Francis Phillips, Catholic Herald *