colleenFL -
Helpful Score: 10
Who would steal an old book? I don't read many true crime books, but the subject matter of this one caught my interest. I love books and I was quite interested to see what could make someone steal so many rare volumes. The author, Allison Hoover Bartlett, a journalist, paints a picture of a man who is obsessed with having the trappings of âthe good life.â He sees a library of expensive, rare volumes as something to show off, something that will give the appearance of wealth and culture and make people admire him.
The book thief, John Charles Gilkey, allowed Bartlett to interview him about his crimes multiple times, over a period of years, in prison and out. He has served time for passing bad checks and for credit card fraud. He told Bartlett of his system for purchasing the books from book dealers with worthless checks or stolen credit card numbers.
Ken Sanders is the book dealer that served as the security chair for the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA). The position involved collecting information on book thefts and disseminating it to ABAA members. He believed that several rare books thefts were related and dubbed the thief the âNorthern California Credit Card Thief.â
Bartlett details the thefts by Gilkey and the chase by Sanders that took place over years. The perseverance of Sanders was evidently key to linking Gilkey to many thefts. The author also includes information on rare book collecting and the prices some books command at auction. I particularly liked the bit about the fore-edge painting.
I found this book a thoroughly enjoyable read and an intriguing look at rare book theft. It is clearly written and well organized. I appreciated that Bartlett gave enough background for an understanding of the people and events involved but doesn't go overboard with it. She skillfully portrays Gilkey's obsession with rare books and Sanders' quest to stop the thief. The historical details about other rare book collectors and thieves helped fit the story into the wider domain of rare book collecting. Bartlett's engaging style of writing made this a fast read. Once I got into the story, the pages flew by and I quickly reached the end of the book. I would recommend this book for anyone that enjoys reading about true crime or book collecting.
The book thief, John Charles Gilkey, allowed Bartlett to interview him about his crimes multiple times, over a period of years, in prison and out. He has served time for passing bad checks and for credit card fraud. He told Bartlett of his system for purchasing the books from book dealers with worthless checks or stolen credit card numbers.
Ken Sanders is the book dealer that served as the security chair for the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA). The position involved collecting information on book thefts and disseminating it to ABAA members. He believed that several rare books thefts were related and dubbed the thief the âNorthern California Credit Card Thief.â
Bartlett details the thefts by Gilkey and the chase by Sanders that took place over years. The perseverance of Sanders was evidently key to linking Gilkey to many thefts. The author also includes information on rare book collecting and the prices some books command at auction. I particularly liked the bit about the fore-edge painting.
I found this book a thoroughly enjoyable read and an intriguing look at rare book theft. It is clearly written and well organized. I appreciated that Bartlett gave enough background for an understanding of the people and events involved but doesn't go overboard with it. She skillfully portrays Gilkey's obsession with rare books and Sanders' quest to stop the thief. The historical details about other rare book collectors and thieves helped fit the story into the wider domain of rare book collecting. Bartlett's engaging style of writing made this a fast read. Once I got into the story, the pages flew by and I quickly reached the end of the book. I would recommend this book for anyone that enjoys reading about true crime or book collecting.
Catherine L. reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 65 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Very intersting. I never would have thought that book theft was such a wide spread crime.
Nada A. reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 1388 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
As an avid reader, I was intrigued by simply the title of the book. This book is a fascinating look at the business of rare books - the collectors, the sellers, and the intrigue. The overview is presented through the story of one book thief - John Gilkey - and one bookseller - Ken Sanders. I enjoyed this book on many levels. First of all, I enjoyed the story which is essentially the story of a criminal and the man who brought him to justice. Second, interspersed throughout the book are vignettes about other famous book collections and collectors. These were as interesting to me as the main story itself. Third, the author in telling the story becomes a part of it. I could relate to her descriptions of the fascination of book collecting. Finally, the author touches on the issue of the pleasure of working with and reading a physical book as opposed to the electronic book readers. I read both and think that something artistic and valuable will be lost if we completely lose the printed word.
Joan W. (justreadingabook) reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 1726 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Well, this was a pretty good read, I had hoped for abit more information and details but that just wasn't the case. The story was a good one but just seem to lack that wow factor that you look for. Great information on the ease of stealing rare books and the lack of prosecution for the crime. After 5 years, books yours and you can't be tried. Just amazing that no one in the ABAA hasn't taken matters into their own hands.
Susan V. (nrlymrtl) reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 297 more book reviews
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much is an interesting little audiobook (only 5 CDs) that takes the reader into the world of bibliophiles, con men, and bibliomaniacs. Allison Hoover Bartlett, a journalist, has given us a very approachable read on John Gilkey, a con man who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of rare and valuable books over the years. The author captures his sense of entitlement and his total lack of guilt over theft.
This book was narrated by Judith Brackley, who has an even, melodious voice. She brought the elements of incredulity, wonder, disgust, and sadness to this tale.
This book was narrated by Judith Brackley, who has an even, melodious voice. She brought the elements of incredulity, wonder, disgust, and sadness to this tale.
Paul C. (Paul-RLT) reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 176 more book reviews
True story of a man (John Gilkey) who acquired rare books through variety of illegal techniques. The criminal is clever, polite but amoral - his character being revealed by the author in a series of interviews. The story also describes the important role of one book dealer (Ken Sanders) who took upon himself the task of tracking down Gilkey. As an extra bonus in reading this account, one gains considerable insight into the world of rare books and the people who collect them.
Rachel G. (roach808) -
An interesting blend of a non-fiction tell-all and a detective novel. Curious and maddening, heartwarming and gut wrenching for those who adore books.
Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 2527 more book reviews
I thought this sounded like an awesome book. It discusses the world of Bibliomania in general and specifically two men are deep into the industry (one who steals rare books and the man whose mission it was to find him). I love books and love learning about them and was excited to learn more about this industry. Overall I was not impressed with this book. The author jumps around between stories, different points of view, and her personal experiences kind of willy nilly. She also doesn't ever really give or get any intriguing insight into why people do these things; besides the conclusions that anyone could make with a couple minutes of thought.
I listened to this on audio book, which I would not recommend, the lady who read the story kind of mumbled and didn't differentiate between characters at all.
From what I gathered Bartlett started researching this topic as a newspaper article and it grew into a book. You can definitely tell. This would have been find as a newspaper feature but as a book it left a lot to be desired. Bartlett mainly focuses on John Gilkey, a reknown rare book thief, and Ken Sanders, a Bibliodick set on catching book thieves.
The most positive part of this book is the look into the world of rare book dealing. Some of this information is very interesting. Unfortunately for me that was the most positive part of this book.
Bartlett switches between Gilkey's stories and Sanders' stories without much organization or reason. Then she intersperses sections on how she feels she fits into the world of bibliomania and what her thoughts on the whole issue are. She spends quite a bit of time sympathizing with Gilkey and not nearly enough time discussing the impacts of his book theft. Towards the end of the book there is one lady whose story she tells briefly, that gives you a bit of an idea of what kind of impact stealing a $5000 book has on a rare book store, but that's it.
I failed to find Gilkey as intriguing as the author did. Gilkey was a plain old stupid criminal, the only thing that sets him apart are his calm attitude and his complete lack of morality. Although I guess a lot of criminals lack morality. Gilkey wasn't even clever and most of the time seemed to be just plain old lucky. I was hoping for a tale of clever deception and what I got was a tale of a criminal with some luck who was up against an inefficient system of law that has bigger things to worry about than stolen books.
Sanders was a more interesting person and he really seemed to make some changes in the overall system that helped catch book thieves.
The conclusions that Bartlett draws are less than awe-inspiring. Basically people collect things because they want people to admire them. I was disappointed that the whole build up in this book leaves us with that basic message. I know this is a non-fiction book but the closure of it was also pretty...well...lame. At the end of the book not much had changed from the beginning. As the reader we know a smidge more about rare book collecting and some might learn more about collecting as a type of disability. Personally I didn't learn anything I didn't already know about people who are crazy about collecting things.
Overall, this short book seemed like a much longer read than books twice its length. There is some interesting information; but it is bogged down by constant switches in who is telling what story, a lack of empathy for the people being stolen from, and only minimal insight into why people do the things they do. Basically I thought it was boring and a waste of time. I almost stopped listening to it on more than one occasion but kept telling myself "really it's not that long, you should be able to get through this...". I will not be picking up any of Bartlett's future works.
I listened to this on audio book, which I would not recommend, the lady who read the story kind of mumbled and didn't differentiate between characters at all.
From what I gathered Bartlett started researching this topic as a newspaper article and it grew into a book. You can definitely tell. This would have been find as a newspaper feature but as a book it left a lot to be desired. Bartlett mainly focuses on John Gilkey, a reknown rare book thief, and Ken Sanders, a Bibliodick set on catching book thieves.
The most positive part of this book is the look into the world of rare book dealing. Some of this information is very interesting. Unfortunately for me that was the most positive part of this book.
Bartlett switches between Gilkey's stories and Sanders' stories without much organization or reason. Then she intersperses sections on how she feels she fits into the world of bibliomania and what her thoughts on the whole issue are. She spends quite a bit of time sympathizing with Gilkey and not nearly enough time discussing the impacts of his book theft. Towards the end of the book there is one lady whose story she tells briefly, that gives you a bit of an idea of what kind of impact stealing a $5000 book has on a rare book store, but that's it.
I failed to find Gilkey as intriguing as the author did. Gilkey was a plain old stupid criminal, the only thing that sets him apart are his calm attitude and his complete lack of morality. Although I guess a lot of criminals lack morality. Gilkey wasn't even clever and most of the time seemed to be just plain old lucky. I was hoping for a tale of clever deception and what I got was a tale of a criminal with some luck who was up against an inefficient system of law that has bigger things to worry about than stolen books.
Sanders was a more interesting person and he really seemed to make some changes in the overall system that helped catch book thieves.
The conclusions that Bartlett draws are less than awe-inspiring. Basically people collect things because they want people to admire them. I was disappointed that the whole build up in this book leaves us with that basic message. I know this is a non-fiction book but the closure of it was also pretty...well...lame. At the end of the book not much had changed from the beginning. As the reader we know a smidge more about rare book collecting and some might learn more about collecting as a type of disability. Personally I didn't learn anything I didn't already know about people who are crazy about collecting things.
Overall, this short book seemed like a much longer read than books twice its length. There is some interesting information; but it is bogged down by constant switches in who is telling what story, a lack of empathy for the people being stolen from, and only minimal insight into why people do the things they do. Basically I thought it was boring and a waste of time. I almost stopped listening to it on more than one occasion but kept telling myself "really it's not that long, you should be able to get through this...". I will not be picking up any of Bartlett's future works.
Laura K. (lo623) - , reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 11 more book reviews
Not something I would typically read, but I was intrigued. I ended up really liking it. As a true lover of books, I could understand the desire to have such an extravagant collection.
Nancy A. (Chocoholic) reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 291 more book reviews
An interesting peek into the book collecting world and how one man was able to successfully con book dealers all over the country out of their prized books. This book explains the ins and outs of book collecting and is full of anecdotes about other thieves as well as the main thief, John Gilkey. The ending is somewhat open-ended, but an intelligent reader can figure out how the story goes on...
Tammy M. (Tamsbooks) reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 39 more book reviews
Here is a story of a thief. Granted, the John Gilkey loves books, but he is still a thief, nonetheless. I felt more strongly as I read this tale that his stature should in no way be mitigated by the title, which somehow suggests that his thievery was a crime of passion.
No. Here is a man who brazenly buys books with stolen credit card numbers but who says he does not check out rare books from a library to sell in the rare-book market because, that would be stealing. What???
Probably I should be curious about how such a mind works and what motivates people to do such crimes. But Im not. At least not in his case. The fact that he continues to do so after numerous stints in prison simply leaves me with a sense of futility.
Though the story is compellingly written, in the end, I was sorry I spent so much time with a character who seems incapable of wrestling with his crimes or his compulsion to commit them.
No. Here is a man who brazenly buys books with stolen credit card numbers but who says he does not check out rare books from a library to sell in the rare-book market because, that would be stealing. What???
Probably I should be curious about how such a mind works and what motivates people to do such crimes. But Im not. At least not in his case. The fact that he continues to do so after numerous stints in prison simply leaves me with a sense of futility.
Though the story is compellingly written, in the end, I was sorry I spent so much time with a character who seems incapable of wrestling with his crimes or his compulsion to commit them.
Amanda P. (nanjo) reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 48 more book reviews
Loved it!! Very well written. Any book lover or collector will love this inside look at the world of book collecting.
Cis H. (californiadreamin) reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 279 more book reviews
True crime story of John Gilkey, the Man Who Stole Books Too Much. Very interesting story, well written by Allison Bartlett, that covers not only the thefts by Gilkey, but his methods and manners. I was intrigued to read about his use of stolen credit cards, since I worked in the credit card industry and fraud is a huge cost to banks and cc companies.
The author starts out as a journalist but becomes more of a storyteller as she becomes more intrigued by Gilkey's crimes. She interviews and meets with him, both inside and outside of prison, and seems to follow his path of crime over several years.
Bartlet also covers the efforts of Ken Sanders, an antiquarian book seller who is determined to catch Gilkey. So you have two stories interwoven in this book. Worth the read!
The author starts out as a journalist but becomes more of a storyteller as she becomes more intrigued by Gilkey's crimes. She interviews and meets with him, both inside and outside of prison, and seems to follow his path of crime over several years.
Bartlet also covers the efforts of Ken Sanders, an antiquarian book seller who is determined to catch Gilkey. So you have two stories interwoven in this book. Worth the read!
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
An enthalling story of a man who steals books, the rare book seller who tracks him down and the author who interviewed both of them for her book.
If you love books, you'll enjoy this one. Not only is the crime story captivating, but the author also interjects information about how to judge the real value of a book. For example, as the "book man" at our local hospice resale store, I've looked over a couple of donated early copies of "Gone With the Wind." At least one was listed as a first edition. Turns out, there were many "first editions," but now I know how to identify the real one.
Plus, after studying how the "man who loved books" committed his crimes by stealing tens of thousands of dollars in rare books, I can't wait for the next time I go to a major city so I can practice his techniques! :-)
If you love books, you'll enjoy this one. Not only is the crime story captivating, but the author also interjects information about how to judge the real value of a book. For example, as the "book man" at our local hospice resale store, I've looked over a couple of donated early copies of "Gone With the Wind." At least one was listed as a first edition. Turns out, there were many "first editions," but now I know how to identify the real one.
Plus, after studying how the "man who loved books" committed his crimes by stealing tens of thousands of dollars in rare books, I can't wait for the next time I go to a major city so I can practice his techniques! :-)
Clare B. (ClareS) reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 87 more book reviews
It was very interesting, but different than I expected.
Claire J. reviewed The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession on + 5 more book reviews
this was an interesting book. Adifferent typr of read. Some neat info inside
this story about a bookthief. I did enjoy it Itwas very original.
this story about a bookthief. I did enjoy it Itwas very original.
