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; Judith Brackley (Narrator)
(Tantor Media, , 9781400113439)
Publication Date: January 4, 2010
Other Editions of This Title: Google eBook, , , Hardcover, Paperback, Hardcover
Categories: General
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Selected by Indie Booksellers for the October 2009 Indie Next ListJohn 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 listener 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.
Allison Hoover Bartlett works as a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Salon, the San Francisco Magazine, Alternative Health, and other publications. Her story about a rare book thief that was published in San Francisco Magazine was included in Best American Crime Reporting 2007. Bartlett is a cofounder of the writing group North 24th, and she works at the San Francisco Writers' Grotto. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children. Judith Brackley worked in major market radio for twenty years as an announcer, program director, and producer for commercial broadcast outlets and NPR affiliates. She has numerous radio spots, industrial voice-overs, and narrations to her credit, including for the Prudential Insurance Company, Gillette, Hewlett-Packard, Polaroid, and National Geographic. She is also a nationally published writer.
In 2003, rare-book dealer and bibliodetective Ken Sanders tracked and caught a con artist with designs on first editions of some of the most cherished books in the world. Author Allison Bartlett tells the story in a new book called The Man Who Loved Books Too Much. More at NPR.org
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- What are the subtleties of stealing for profit versus stealing out of a love for books themselves? Is one more justified than the other?
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