Need help finding a non-fiction book...

[FSogol]

Don't know the author or title.
Heard about it on NPR (Diane Rehm's or Derek McGinty's show)when the author was making a book tour.
Came out in the Late 1980s or Early 1990s.
Dealt with Christian Holy Relics throughout history and how there was a PT Barnum-like atmosphere to them in the Middle Ages. One Church would claim to have the nails from Christ's cross or his sandals to promote themselves. The relics would disappear and reappear, get stolen, etc.

Any ideas?

[meegbear]

1. This may not be it, but it certainly sounds interesting ...

"An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church's Strangest Relic in Italy's Oddest Town" is about author David Farley's quest to find the Holy Foreskin, a relic once housed and venerated in the tiny medieval village of Calcata but that went missing in 1983. During the year that Farley lives in the all-but-forgotten hamlet north of Rome, he unravels the story behind the Holy Foreskin ("Santissimo Prepuzio" or "Carne Vera Sacra", in Italian) and how it came to be one of Christendom's most holy – and, later, most obscure - relics.



http://goitaly.about.com/od/italybookreviews/fr/irreverent-curiosity-book-review.htm

[FSogol]

5. Does sound good. I'll add it to my list.

Thanks.

[zbird]

2. Could it be "Furta Sacra: Thefts of Relics in the Central Middle Ages"?

By Patrick J. Geary, revised edition published in 1990 (original 1978). E-book version at link.

http://811.cache.nexusddl.com/science/history-military/c658-66-patrick-j-geary-furta-sacra-thefts-of-relics-in-the-central-middle-ages.html

[FSogol]

3. Yes, I think that is it. Amazing. Have you read it? Or just better at searching than me?

Many thanks.

[zbird]

4. Haven't read it, just got luky with google search.

This book was listed as a reference on a site about Christian relics.

http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/things/relics.htm

[FSogol]

6. Neat website. Next time I'm in Aachen, germany, I'll be sure to see Jesus' baby blanket.

I also like their disclaimer, "Keep in mind that the authenticity of some of these relics is in doubt. If that matters to you, read up before you go."