The Rise of Heritage

'This book should be required reading for all scholars interested in nineteenth-century collecting. Astrid Swenson has produced a lucid and persuasive synthesis of the emergence of historical preservation in Britain, France and Germany, ranging from the debates on vandalism and restitution during the French Revolution through to the flurry of international congresses in the fin-de-siècle. In the process, she subtly challenges the orthodoxies about the unique complexion of each nation's heritage culture - namely the statist French, the civic-minded German bourgeoisie or the individualist and aristocratic British …This is an extraordinarily learned, multi-faceted and important study that reminds us of what was, and is, at stake in the decision to preserve the past.' Tom Stammers, Journal of the History of Collections
'Swenson's book is expertly researched, clearly written and offers an empirically rich approach to transnational heritage … in its mastery of British, French and German sources, its ambitious scope and its contribution to our understanding of heritage, the book is a major achievement, and will interest those working on heritage studies, architectural history, transnational history and modern European history.' Chris Pearson, The English Historical Review
'Swenson's prodigious archival work in three languages has unearthed convincing evidence to support her contention that we must revise facile characterizations of preservation movements on the basis of supposed national difference … Swenson's chapters on international exhibitions, fairs, and expositions detail how the growing sense among intellectuals and activists of the need to 'preserve the past' as a responsibility of 'Western Civilization' led cultural nationalists to attempt to demonstrate at various events that their nation was at the apex of that civilization. This is an important and well-made argument, echoing other scholars who have found clear connections between nationalist and internationalist movements in domestic history in the mid- and later nineteenth century …' Stephen Heathorn, The Journal of Modern History