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Loading... The Man Who Loved Books Too Much (2009)by Allison Hoover Bartlett
  
I gave the book 5 stars, I think I'd rather do a 4.5 but oh well! It was a lovely, frustrating book! Very hard to put down once I'd started. I wanted to shake the man the book is about, but I don't think that'd help. ;) I wonder what he's up to these days, hopefully not stealing books!  book_in_hand | Jul 5, 2018 |  Enthralling and well-written. The author does a great job painting a portrait of an inveterate thief of rare books. (  ) GaylaBassham | May 27, 2018 | The story of John Gilkey, rare book thief (as in he steals rare books, not that he's a rare type of book thief!), and Ken Sanders, the "bibliodick" who eventually stopped him. I sort of felt like the book was too short and the author really spent more time describing Gilkey's mental issues than anything else. I really liked how she describes the importance of books as physical objects, a sentiment with which I can completely agree. (  ) gossamerchild88 | Mar 30, 2018 | Interesting, but I still left wanting more. This is a tale of a book thief, and I enjoyed the parts about old books, their history and uniqueness, and even their "value" both monetarily and culturally. However I didn't actually enjoy the conversations with out thief, or the author's side comments about her life and views on the subject. So it was interesting, and a quick listen on audiobook, but not one I'd revisit. ( ) RivetedReaderMelissa | Mar 22, 2018 | I enjoyed this book a lot, not so much for the tale of Gilkey the thief, but for the exploration of the many different motivations for, and manifestations of, book love (including her own.) She's a girl after my own heart, generally having a personal affinity for non-fiction over fiction! I admired Bartlett's writing style, particularly the way she weaves-in asides without breaking the flow, and the clean segues from one part of the narrative to another. Quick read - only a few effortless hours. ( ) Kim_Sasso | Mar 14, 2018 | no reviews | add a review
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"Unrepentant book thief John Charles Gilkey has stolen a fortune in rare books from around the country. Yet unlike most thieves, who steal for profit, Gilkey steals for love - the love of books. Perhaps equally obsessive, though, is Ken Sanders, the self-appointed "bibliodick" driven to catch him. Sanders, a lifelong rare book collector and dealer turned amateur detective, will stop at nothing to catch the thief plaguing his trade." "In following both of these eccentric characters, journalist Allison Hoover Bartlett plunged deep into a world of fanatical book lust, and ultimately found herself caught between the many people interested in finding Gilkey's stolen treasure, and the man who wanted to keep it hidden: the thief himself."."With a mixture of suspense, insight, and humor, Bartlett has woven this cat-and-mouse chase into a narrative that not only reveals exactly how Gilkey pulled off his crimes and how Sanders eventually caught him, but also explores the romance of books, the lure to collect them, and the temptation to steal them. All collectors have stories of what first made them fall in love, and Gilkey and Sanders are no different. Bartlett puts their stories into the larger context of book passion, collection, and theft through the ages."--BOOK JACKET.… (more)
Allison Hoover Bartlett's book The Man Who Loved Books Too Much was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
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Allison Hoover Bartlett chatted with LibraryThing members from Oct 22, 2009 to Oct 30, 2009. Read the chat.
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