"The Looting of the Iraq Museum, Baghdad" is misnamed, its co-editors agree. The book does not delve into the mystery of what took place on April 10-12, 2003 as looters smashed through the museum stealing or damaging thousands of objects.

"We'd have preferred [a title] that looked at the cradle of civilization. It was a publisher's decision," said co-editor Angela Schuster.

One essay in the book, by architects Usam Ghaidan and Anna Paolini, states that "museum guards stood by as hordes broke into the museum with wheelbarrows and carts ... " Presumably, they were told this, but do not give a source.

Donny George, director of the Iraq Museum, wrote a preface for the book in which he reported that 15,000 objects were stolen during the looting, including Abbasid wooden doors; Sumerian, Akkadian and Haraean statues; some 5,000 cylinder seals; gold and silver material; jewelry; and pottery. Fewer than half of those objects have been returned.

He does not give further details about how the looting occurred, nor does the book make clear which objects are missing and which have been returned. Co-editor Milbry Polk said that with the inventory in flux and objects still being recovered, that would have quickly dated the book.

"We wanted to say these are the key pieces and this material is part of the museum story," she said.

In a documentary video made shortly after the 2003 looting and aired on PBS earlier this year, British reporter Dan Cruickshank attempted to interview George and other museum employees about what happened.

They were not forthcoming and said no inventory of the museum contents existed, making it impossible for U.S. investigators to determine what was actually missing.

After seeing evidence of military fortifications at the museum, including a hand grenade and weapons in the building, as well as other irregularities, Cruickshank concluded that some museum staff may have been allied with Saddam Hussein's regime and complicit in the looting.

"I think there weren't a lot of choices," Schuster said, stressing the extreme danger and uncertain political situation that the staff of the state-run museum faced. "Clearly a lot of it was an inside job and we did say as much."

— Sheila Farr