The Connoisseur
A Novel

Nobody's read this book, as far as I can tell. It's one of my favorite books and, I think, one of the great lost classics of the twentieth century. I'm not kidding. It's an odd little book, if for no other reason than there are no subplots: Muhlbach discovers an interest in pre-Columbian art. That i......more

A mystique envelopes those deemed art connoisseurs, chiefly figures of a past era such as Bernard Berenson and Thomas Hoving. They speak of being transported back across time into the mind of the artist. Today, leaning heavily on science to authenticate a work, it's easy to dismiss that kind of uniq......more

Why is this book not considered an American classic? I loved every word of this simple, haunting story. On a business trip to New Mexico, Muhlbach, a widower with 2 children who works in insurance, falls in love with a small statue in a junk shop. Initially, he couldn't care less about its authentic......more

A surprising, low-key, excellent novel. An insurance agent on a business trip in the Southwest stops off in Taos and, on a whim, buys a pre-Columbian statue. The impulse purchase slowly expands its hold on him as he gets deeper into the world of gallerists, auctioneers, decorators, scholars, and col......more

A businessman visits Taos and buys a little pre-Columbian statue. He is assured that the statue is authentic, but he really doesn't care, he just likes it. But he takes the shop owner's suggestion and has an expert look at it. The expert also pronounces it authentic. From this small beginning, the b......more