Why ANTIQUES ROADSHOW?
We are surrounded by things, and we are surrounded by history. But too seldom do we use the artifacts that make up our environment to understand the past. Too seldom do we try to read objects as we read books — to understand the people and times that created them, used them, and discarded them. In part, this is because it is not easy to read history from things. They are illegible to those who know how to read only writing. They are mute to those who listen only for pronouncements from the past. But they do speak; they can be read. — from History from Things: Essays on Material Culture, edited by Steven Lubar and W. David Kingery Part mystery, part history lesson, and part treasure hunt, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is the most-watched primetime series on public television. From 1997, when the series debuted, through 2007, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW producers crisscrossed the United States, taping appraisals of close to a million objects in nearly 100 road trips and 66 cities. The program has attracted a