Countdown to 2010(2009)
Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009
"The Man Who Loved Books Too Much" by Allison Hoover Bartlett
(from back cover)
John Charles Gilkey is an obsessed, unrepentant book thief who has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of rare books from book fairs, stores, and libraries around the country. Ken Sanders is the self-appointed "bibliodick" (book dealer with a penchant for detective work) driven to catch him. Journalist Allison Hoover Bartlett befriended both eccentric characters and found herself caught in the middle of efforts to recover hidden treasure. With a mixture of suspense, insight, and humor, she not only reveals exactly how Gilkey pulled off his dirtiest crimes and how Sanders ultimately caught him, but also explores the romance of books, the lure to collect them, and the temptation to steal them. Immersing the reader in a rich, wide world of literary obsession, Bartlett looks at the history of book passion, collection, and theft through the ages, to examine the craving that makes some people willing to stop at nothing to possess the books they love.
MY THOUGHTS: This is a very informative book about book collecting. John Gilkey is obsessed with rare books. He thinks owning them will make him important and well known. He also doesn't pay for them. He steals them! Ken Sanders is a book collector of rare and hard to find books. He buys his books. Sanders also is obsessed, with catching John Gilkey.
What starts Ms. Bartlett off to finding all this information about books? A nearly four-hundred-year-old book called Kreuterbuch ("plant book") of botanical medicine by Hieronymus Bock, a botanist and physician. Just where did she find this book? A friend came across the book while sorting through some things after a friends death. There was a not attached that explained someone had taken it from a college library and then moved, forgetting to return the book. Mx. Bartlett called the library and they said they no record of the book. This led her to something more intriguing, stories about theft of books. Which led her to Ken Sanders. She even has interviews with John Gilkey in this book. Plus lots of info on other rare and stolen books from as far back as the 14th century. If you want info collecting books and what to look for, that's in this book too. You can get this book at Amazon. com
MY RATING: 5
3 wonderful people stopped by:
I got this book for review earlier and I really loved it. I learned a lot without noticing that I was learning a lot, something I like in nonfiction. I'll be posting my review this week sometime, I hope :)
Hey! This sounds like something I would love to read. To read passionately is one thing, to write about that very passion is ingenious. I can't wait to pick this up.
I read this a few weeks ago and loved it! Great review :)
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