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The Man Who Stole the Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy

byMatthew Campbell

Matthew Campbell follows the trade in Cambodian antiquities through the life of Douglas Latchford, a collector and dealer whose reputation concealed a vast trafficking operation. Sacred sculptures traveled from temples scarred by war into auction rooms, private collections, and major museums, often accompanied by invented histories of ownership. Campbell traces the dealers, intermediaries, and institutions that sustained this market, alongside investigators and Cambodians working to recover their heritage. His reporting connects individual greed with the wider consequences of cultural theft, asking what restitution means for communities deprived of objects carrying their history and beliefs.

Publisher

Portfolio

Publication date

2026-06-02

Format

Hardcover

Pages

432

ISBN

9780593716007