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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. A book about a book thief and the inspector who caught him. Based on a true story of why Gilkey was obsessed with expensive books. (  )  tanya2009 | Dec 24, 2009 |  I'm still in the midst of reading this book. All in all, it's a good read, and the "rabbit trails" are just long enough to keep interest without losing the plot. Bartlett works to keep the stories of two main characters' lives going concurrently in her storytelling, and at times that's a bit confusing, but not enough to be problematic. Vulgarity and swearing is minimal, but still doesn't need to be there; that's my biggest gripe. (  ) prairiedog62 | Dec 22, 2009 | I was drawn into this story. Bartlett's struggle to maintain balance between the sympathetic thief and the man who fought to protect rare books reads like a novel. This 'World of Literary Obsession' has even led me to search for rare editions of my favorite books (but not to buy any!). (  ) sarah-e | Dec 11, 2009 | I read this book on the plane ride from Orlando to Manchester, NH. I haven't read very much investigative reporting NF, but this one really kept me interested. I learned quite a bit about the antique book selling business, and was reminded of what it's like to be obsessed with something so that you lose all reason. It was a very cool whodunit with smart writing and a compelling plot line. ( ) speakfreelynow | Dec 7, 2009 | This is an interesting book on book collecting and stealing rare books. The thief of the story doesn't really "love books too much." Instead, he has a bizarre sense of entitlement and considers books a way to show that he belongs in the upper class society that he envies. Bartlett has done a nice job in analyzing her thief, and while she gives some glimpses into rare book collecting, I wish she would have given more of a sense of contemporary collectors and what drives them. The other part of the book that troubled me was how much she inserts herself into the narrative. The book takes on an uneasy balance between memoir and reporting, between a book like "A Gentle Madness" and "The Professor and the Madman." Given the subject and her access to living sources, I think the book would have been stronger if she had stayed more in the mode of a reporter. Still, it's a quick and enjoyable read, and fans of this brand of non-fiction should enjoy it. ( ) wrmjr66 | Nov 30, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
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Allison Hoover Bartlett is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
Allison Hoover Bartlett chatted with LibraryThing members from Oct 22, 2009 to Oct 30, 2009. Read the chat.
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