How Christopher Cardozo ended up being held at knife- and gunpoint in an extremely remote southern Mexican village in the 1970s, lived to tell the tale, and how he went on to become the world’s foremost expert on Edward Curtis is an awfully interesting story.

Cardozo, who turns 71 in late February, has authored nine books on Curtis, amassed the world’s largest collection of his work, and curated more than 100 exhibitions seen in more than 40 countries. He and a staff of 12 recently completed a nearly five-year, 40,000-hour project to republish all 20 volumes and 20 portfolios of Curtis’ landmark . Cardozo is now immersed in an effort to repatriate Curtis’ work to tribal colleges and cultural centers, and he has already placed more than 1,000 prints and over 300 limited edition books and portfolios