Few beyond the insider realize that museums own millions of objects the public never sees. In Lost in the Museum, Nancy Moses takes the reader behind the Oemployees onlyO doors to uncover the stories buried—along with the objects—in the crypts of museums, historical societies, and archives. Moses discovers the actual birds shot, stuffed, and painted by John James Audubon, AmericaOs most beloved bird artist; a spear that abolitionist John Brown carried in his quixotic quest to free the slaves; and the skull of a prehistoric Peruvian child who died with scurvy. She takes the reader to Ker-Feal, the secret farmhouse that Albert Barnes of the Barnes Foundation filled with fabulous American antiques and that was then left untouched for more than fifty years. Weaving the stories of the object, its original owner, and the often idiosyncratic institution where the object resides, the book reveals the darkest secret of the cultural world: the precarious balance of art, culture, and politics that keep items, for decades, lost in the museum.

"The one thing that this book can teach us, especially those who hold the purse strings, is this: collecting objects is not enough. Caring for objects is not enough. What is needed above all else are curators to expand the pool of knowledge about these objects and to pass that knowledge on to this and future generations." - Museums Journal

"A fascinating look at what is in our vaults and storage areas . . . Lost in the Museum should be a required read in museum studies courses. It would enlighten museum staff and volunteers, and should be presented to any municipal council member whose district includes a museum." - Muse, November / December 2008