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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Allison Hoover Bartlett told a fine story about a world that few of us will ever know anything about, Rare book collecting and the lengths that some will go to acquire these books.
The Main character in this tale is the thief, John Gilkey an unassuming 30 something from Modesto, who believes he's done no wrong. Although he would never be able to show anyone his collection I believe his attempt to build it was to prove to people how refined and intelligent he viewed himself to be.
The man who tracked him down Ken Sanders, a Salt Lake City book store owner, proves that not all book store owners are nerdy and geeky. Sanders was like a dog with a bone right til the end.
In the end the story shows the world of obsession and just how far some will go to satisfy it.
The Main character in this tale is the thief, John Gilkey an unassuming 30 something from Modesto, who believes he's done no wrong. Although he would never be able to show anyone his collection I believe his attempt to build it was to prove to people how refined and intelligent he viewed himself to be.
The man who tracked him down Ken Sanders, a Salt Lake City book store owner, proves that not all book store owners are nerdy and geeky. Sanders was like a dog with a bone right til the end.
In the end the story shows the world of obsession and just how far some will go to satisfy it.
The story was interesting and definitely something different than other true stories I have ever read.
Very informative. The start was slow but gradually increase to pull you into the mind and world of a complusive thief. The last few chapters were the best.
I'm not a huge nonfiction fan, and picked this book up because even for nonfiction, the premise sounded intriguing. And for the most part, it was.
The story follows a journalist scooping the story of John Gilkey, who spent his time stealing rare books through credit card fraud.
The book goes into a good amount of detail on the books in question and the thinking around book collecting in general, but it didn't have much push for a plot and I found myself dragging to get through it.
If you have an interest in rare books or book collecting, I would recommend this book. If you are more of a true crime fan, this probably isn't your read.
The story follows a journalist scooping the story of John Gilkey, who spent his time stealing rare books through credit card fraud.
The book goes into a good amount of detail on the books in question and the thinking around book collecting in general, but it didn't have much push for a plot and I found myself dragging to get through it.
If you have an interest in rare books or book collecting, I would recommend this book. If you are more of a true crime fan, this probably isn't your read.
informative
The author interviewed a book dealer turned detective who was trying to track down a book thief who was stealing from multiple dealers, mostly in one geographic area. And she interviewed the book thief himself, trying to get at the heart of his motivations, while also exploring his methods.
It's an interesting look into the world of rare book collecting and a look inside the mind of a thief. Not that I can really understand the motivations of either on an instinctive level. I can only understand the urge to collect or to have an awesome library filled with books you haven't read so you can show off to people who don't even care, on an intellectual level.
If you'd like to read my more lengthy review, it's up at Triple Take. http://www.flaminggeeks.com/tripletake/
It's an interesting look into the world of rare book collecting and a look inside the mind of a thief. Not that I can really understand the motivations of either on an instinctive level. I can only understand the urge to collect or to have an awesome library filled with books you haven't read so you can show off to people who don't even care, on an intellectual level.
If you'd like to read my more lengthy review, it's up at Triple Take. http://www.flaminggeeks.com/tripletake/
For me, the key takeaway from this book is the difference between a book lover and a collector. After reading it, I've decided that I fall into the former category because to me a book is only worth as much as the content within. I'm not going to deny being attracted to certain covers or titles or genres or authors but if I don't like the content, I give the book away to family and friends, hoping that they might find it enjoyable. This probably explains why I have no problem switching between formats (physical/electronic/audiobooks).
I think the story could have been presented as a long-form article instead of a book and found Gilkey's rationalizing of theft repulsive.
I think the story could have been presented as a long-form article instead of a book and found Gilkey's rationalizing of theft repulsive.
Rating: 2.75/5
I don’t read non-fiction very often so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it was easy to read. I liked the first half where we get to know Gilkey and his backstory, unfortunately the story started to drag in the second half. I didn’t like how the author jumped back and forth between Sanders’ and Gilkey’s stories. And I found it odd how she seemed to make excuses Gilkey. More than anything he’s a thief, no matter how much he loves books, in the end he loves what he thinks they’ll do for him more.
I don’t read non-fiction very often so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it was easy to read. I liked the first half where we get to know Gilkey and his backstory, unfortunately the story started to drag in the second half. I didn’t like how the author jumped back and forth between Sanders’ and Gilkey’s stories. And I found it odd how she seemed to make excuses Gilkey. More than anything he’s a thief, no matter how much he loves books, in the end he loves what he thinks they’ll do for him more.
I became slightly obsessed with this collection of memories of John Gilkey told by the author. His obsession of rare collectible books had surpassed my preconceived thoughts. I never knew people could be this determined to own, let alone steal and do anything they can to get their hands on these books.
This is a great, informative book of the, almost, underground thievery of rare books and the people who will do what they can to either protect the value or steal them away. A great read for a behind-the-scenes look of the extent people will go to collecting rare treasures.
In this biography we follow a journalist who investigates, interrogates and indulges in the rarity of books and a man, John Gilkey, as he tells her about how and why he does what he did without fully admitting that what he was doing was wrong, whether he acknowledged that it was wrong or not.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did, and possibly encouraged to go as far as wanting to start rummaging through somebody’s garage saled books or venturing into an estate sale to see what hidden gems you may find in the shelves.
This is a great, informative book of the, almost, underground thievery of rare books and the people who will do what they can to either protect the value or steal them away. A great read for a behind-the-scenes look of the extent people will go to collecting rare treasures.
In this biography we follow a journalist who investigates, interrogates and indulges in the rarity of books and a man, John Gilkey, as he tells her about how and why he does what he did without fully admitting that what he was doing was wrong, whether he acknowledged that it was wrong or not.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did, and possibly encouraged to go as far as wanting to start rummaging through somebody’s garage saled books or venturing into an estate sale to see what hidden gems you may find in the shelves.