The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime

This is an absolutely fascinating true crime account of the cartomaniac who stole hundreds of priceless maps from the stacks of such illustrious libraries as The Peabody (at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore). The aptly named Gilbert Bland Jr used several aliases and was never questioned by security or librarians. He gave every appearance of being a mild-mannered scholar. But he sliced maps out of ancient books, and then sold them to collectors.

Harvey crafts the story like the best true-crime writers. The reader knows the crime and the criminal pretty much at the outset, but it’s the hunt for why? that propels the narrative. Along the way Harvey includes considerable information about map-making and the human fascination with show more maps since ancient times. I was captivated from the opening lines. show less

The Island of Lost Maps is sort of a true crime story. But not really. What got the author started down this road was the theft of maps from various libraries by Gilbert Bland. The author becomes fascinated with the story and ends up on a rather broader journey than expected. Harvey does go into the details of Bland's crimes and the history of the man himself (he also does some supposing about why Bland did what he did) but the book is not just about Bland. I wouldn't even say it is mostly about Bland. It isn't even just about maps. There is a lot of interesting (at least to me) information here about the history of mapmaking and the history of map thievery. It goes into the politics of maps and why they were so well guarded through show more history. It talks about why people today have such an interest in old maps and why people feel the need to collect them. It goes into the issues that libraries have with making rare books available to the public without making them vulnerable to theft and vandalism and how libraries can keep the books together and whole when there are no funds. Harvey's quest to find Bland led him all over the place and you have to be prepared to follow him there. Even when he goes on little detours. The book does tend to meander around a bit and follows Harvey's movements instead of having some, maybe, more cohesive style. I didn't mind because I found all his detours and musings interesting. Just beware that this book covers almost as much ground as the maps he's talking about show less

The impetus for this book was a news story about a man, Gilbert Bland, who was caught stealing maps from the Peabody Library in 1995. As it turned out, this was the tip of the iceberg, as he had already hit many other libraries. Miles Harvey became fascinated by the story and tried to learn more about it. This book is the result of his research.

Unfortunately, Harvey was never able to interview Bland to learn more about his life and his motives, because Bland just did not want to talk to anyone. But Harvey does delve deeply into the world of maps. He gives us a detailed history of maps and map making, the recent surge in interest in collecting maps leading to big increases in price, and a history of map theft, which is apparently a very show more long-standing tradition. As it turns out, maps were often state secrets, heavily guarded, and objects for theft by other countries.

Harvey also looks into the problem of theft from libraries. He spoke to several librarians and saw the damage that had been done to rare and valuable books mutilated by the thief. Since he was never able to speak to Bland, he investigates the public records of the man, tracing his history in the army and previous run-ins with the law. He also spoke to map dealers and collectors, to understand the passion for collecting maps. He interviewed psychologists who have studied the psychology of collecting. And he spoke to the FBI who had recovered a lot of the stolen maps and were attempting to return them to the libraries where they belonged--a difficult task, as it turned out. In the end, Harvey learns more about himself than he does about Bland.

I found this to be a fascinating tale, and the history of maps and map theft was just as fascinating. This book might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I certainly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in maps. show less

history books can often be way too academic with not enough story. this book was written by a journalist so it doesn’t suffer from that.

even though Harvey waxes a bit rhapsodic in places and maybe even melodramatic, it is still a compellingly written book about map stealing and the whole map culture and industry. in addition to the main thread about the map thief Gilbert Bland (almost an oxymoronic aptronym), Harvey relates lots of information about how cartography used to be and is much more than just making maps. the map-makers of the past especially used maps of previously unexplored regions as advertisements and pathways to fame and fortune. maps capture our imagination about what is beyond our understanding and knowledge. they show more represented adventure and enterprise and growth and excitement and bravery.

he never does get a true interview with Bland, the star of his show, but does a decent job of painting a picture of the man albeit from a somewhat blurry distance.

the book is well worth the read if for nothing more than the glimpse into the lives of map-makers modern and ancient and the people who covet, trade, steal, and safeguard them. show less

I am still shaking my head about Miles Harvey's "The Island of Lost Maps" -- what a wasted opportunity for an interesting book. I decided to read this one after reading Michael Blandings' excellent and far superior book "The Map Thief" and I just shouldn't have bothered.

The book is supposed to be about map thief Gilbert Bland Jr., who ripped maps out of library books and made a pretty good living at it until he got caught. Harvey clearly doesn't have enough material on Bland for a full-length book so he includes lots of junk that has no bearing on the story. It's like writing a story about a famous doctor and saying, "I had some cashews for breakfast and that takes me back to the main character of my story, because he was nuts." Harvery show more frequently inserts himself into the story in bizarre ways.

The point of no return for me was when Harvey begins describing how the ghost of a dead librarian felt about Bland's thefts. I'm sure this was based on extensive interviews with the ghost of the library. Hello, this isn't supposed to be a fiction! It was impossible to take anything Harvey said seriously after that chapter.

Skip this book and read "The Map Thief" instead... you'll get much more out of it. show less

I read this book in one setting. It was thrilling and descriptive and very, very disturbing. The libraries that were the scenes of crimes committed by people who trade in commodified maps were described so beautifully that I wanted nothing more than to travel to them and sit at their tables and read a book and not cut something out.

It is naive to believe that where there is interest a market will not spring to life. However, I found myself absolutely enraged at the clinical nature of the dealings in what I believe are living works of science and art seamlessly blended to communicate information.

Maps are romantic and inspiring and frustrating. The black market in them is no less intriguing and depressing. To deface a book in a library show more is nothing to one who can see only the monetary value in a page. And there is a market for such people and such pages.

This is a well-written, enjoyably read tale of map-sellers and investigative journalism that has very little to do with the science of cartography, although I believe it to be enormously relevant to anyone interested in that science.

It raises ethical and moral questions. It raises questions about the purpose of maps and how they exist in our day-to-day lives and world. The author also, and more immediately, evokes a sense of the sacred in library spaces. I am still inspired to tour the libraries he describes, if only to gaze in their windows and think off all the pages left alone by thieving blades. show less

I found this book fascinating. I love history, true crime, and maps myself. I live near the ocean so I understand that siren call of the sea. I am a librarian so I understand the outrage about what Bland did. And I like well written books, this was one. Harvey takes the reader on a strange journey through time from the beginning of map making to the most modern methods to mapping the sea floor. The thief Gilbert Bland is not really important to the story. He is why it was started, he did steal from students, researches, and the tax payers, but he is not really important. I felt that was just like his life. Bland was there but not really important. That has caused pain to his family but Bland does not really care about that either. show more Harvey is much more interesting than Bland. Bland hid from everyone, Harvey goes to meet new people to learn more about maps from. Bland did not care about the maps or map making. Harvey finds insiders who are willing to give him some of their time so that he can understand. Bland is very boring. Harvey is moving, learning, and all in all much more interesting. Read this book for Harvey, the maps, and history because just like in his life Gilbert Bland is just not there.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library. show less