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A review by bioniclib
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett
4.0
I learned a lot about Rare Book Collecting from this tale. 'Tis a world of extremes; extremely rare books and extreme prices. The prices are often subject to ridicule by the public. More than one a anecdote is passed along in which a Rare Book Dealer goes to the police to help with a theft. When informed of the price, tens of thousands of dollars is not uncommon, the officer levels a stare of incredulity at the dealer. "But it's just a book?!" they would stammer.
I fancy myself a bibliophile and must admit to being awed at reading about this first edition or that rare manuscript. I love the look of a wall lined with leather bound tomes. The prospect of holding in my hands a copy of The Invisible man with Jules Verne scribbling in the margins does indeed get my heart pounding. But that said, I really don't have much desire to hide such a piece of history in my home. I'd much prefer to see it on display at an archive or library somewhere, so that a myriad of people can bask in its glory. Unfortunately, there are those that feel differently, very differently indeed.
John Gilkey is one such uncouth gentleman. Working with a stack of credit card slips, he spends the better part of his adult life purchasing rare books with someone else's money. No matter how many times he's caught, he keeps doing it again. He makes an arch-nemesis of the self-styled "bibliodick", Ken Sanders. Who has an arch-nemesis these days? As the author plunged deeper into what is soon revealed as a very disturbed mind, it really comes as no surprise that Mr. Gilkey can lay such a claim. Mr. Sanders not only aids in one of the captures of the book thief but also helps wise up with fellow rare book dealers to Mr. Gilkey's scheme.
The author herself meets and interviews both men. In fact most of the tales told in the book are gathered through interviews with them as well as other folks in the rare book community. In the process, she feels she may have crossed a line. She feels frighteningly caught up in the fervor both men share for rare books. She also gave me a few interesting factoids, that I'll end with in hopes of wetting your appetite for the book.
~ Many collectors don't actually read their books. (p. 20)
~ Though, a predominantly male field, it is fast becoming populated with women. (endnote 7 for chapter 1)
~ The first edition of the first Harry Potter is a rare book, there was only 500 printed. (p. 23)
~ Sniffing a book isn't always some weird fetish, it's actually a method to detect mildew. (p. 23)
~ Collecting goes back to Euripides in around 400 BC (p. 24)
~ A lot of dealers are reluctant to report a theft because it would hurt their reputation and, thus, their business. (p. 32)
~ Book theft is more wide spread than art theft. (p. 37)
And finally, while note something she said directly, I noticed that a lot of her endnotes were of websites. I'm sure this is becoming rather common, given the proliferation of information on the internet but this is the first book I've read that had so many web references.
I fancy myself a bibliophile and must admit to being awed at reading about this first edition or that rare manuscript. I love the look of a wall lined with leather bound tomes. The prospect of holding in my hands a copy of The Invisible man with Jules Verne scribbling in the margins does indeed get my heart pounding. But that said, I really don't have much desire to hide such a piece of history in my home. I'd much prefer to see it on display at an archive or library somewhere, so that a myriad of people can bask in its glory. Unfortunately, there are those that feel differently, very differently indeed.
John Gilkey is one such uncouth gentleman. Working with a stack of credit card slips, he spends the better part of his adult life purchasing rare books with someone else's money. No matter how many times he's caught, he keeps doing it again. He makes an arch-nemesis of the self-styled "bibliodick", Ken Sanders. Who has an arch-nemesis these days? As the author plunged deeper into what is soon revealed as a very disturbed mind, it really comes as no surprise that Mr. Gilkey can lay such a claim. Mr. Sanders not only aids in one of the captures of the book thief but also helps wise up with fellow rare book dealers to Mr. Gilkey's scheme.
The author herself meets and interviews both men. In fact most of the tales told in the book are gathered through interviews with them as well as other folks in the rare book community. In the process, she feels she may have crossed a line. She feels frighteningly caught up in the fervor both men share for rare books. She also gave me a few interesting factoids, that I'll end with in hopes of wetting your appetite for the book.
~ Many collectors don't actually read their books. (p. 20)
~ Though, a predominantly male field, it is fast becoming populated with women. (endnote 7 for chapter 1)
~ The first edition of the first Harry Potter is a rare book, there was only 500 printed. (p. 23)
~ Sniffing a book isn't always some weird fetish, it's actually a method to detect mildew. (p. 23)
~ Collecting goes back to Euripides in around 400 BC (p. 24)
~ A lot of dealers are reluctant to report a theft because it would hurt their reputation and, thus, their business. (p. 32)
~ Book theft is more wide spread than art theft. (p. 37)
And finally, while note something she said directly, I noticed that a lot of her endnotes were of websites. I'm sure this is becoming rather common, given the proliferation of information on the internet but this is the first book I've read that had so many web references.