Who owns America's past? : the Smithsonian and the problem of history / Robert C. Post.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

A chain of events linking past to present -- Modernization -- A worthy home for national treasures -- Allies and critics -- To join in a Smithsonian renaissance -- A special kind of insight -- The winded gospel -- Celebration or education? -- A crisis of representation -- Small's world -- Timely and relevant themes and methods of presentation.

"From an insider's perspective, Robert C. Post ... offers insight into the politics of display and the interpretation of history. Never before has a book about the Smithsonian detailed the recent and dramatic shift from collection-driven shows, with artifacts meant to speak for themselves, to concept-driven exhibitions, in which objects aim to tell a story, displayed like illustrations in a book."--Dust jacket flap.