Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century

Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson

10 reviews

unluckycat13's review

This book is too long. I get the goal of laying out the entire history of preservation and hunting, but it wasn't necessary and it takes up like 25% of the book. I admire the authors work with refuges (at least taking his word on it) but I don't particularly like the author?

This book overall feels very unexamined. Many things are taken at face value, and often presented in a romanticized light. The author comes off as a bit of a yuppie type. I'm simply not shocked or intrigued by the things he is.

There are moderately severe descriptions of what really amount to animal torture and neglect as well. I keept trying to give it a chance, but I think I'm done.

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kelseyfactorial's review against another edition

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adventurous informative fast-paced

5.0

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librarymouse's review against another edition

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adventurous informative mysterious medium-paced

4.5

This is a really informative book about a crime that, at first glance, almost seems to be comical. The fanatical devotion to using the feathers from exotic and endangered birds is disgusting, especially when the look can be mimicked with dying feathers from more common birds already being slaughtered for meat. Similarly disgusting is their closing of ranks when called out for buying and selling stolen skins, furs, and corpses. Especially heinous is the wildlife protection agencies' inaction.

Edwin Rist, and his peers in fly making are heinous in their disregard for the sanctity of the scientific and historical record. Their lack of remorse deserves far more punishment than any have received.

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spookily's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging informative mysterious medium-paced

3.0

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dominicangirl's review

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informative sad fast-paced

4.5

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aezlo's review against another edition

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dark informative medium-paced

3.0

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kristyderp's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Surprisingly exciting for a book about bird skins! The author really got invested in the mystery and did more than tell the story; he got involved. His fixation was contagious. It's definitely a story that should be known to every museum to keep collections safe.
I enjoyed this book as a person who loves birds and museums. My dad enjoyed this book as an avid fly tier and fisherman.

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mistherd17's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious medium-paced

3.0

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ireadinbed's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This is my first read of the year and I don't feel great right now but I'm so glad I read it.

This story almost beggars belief but it's *true*. I would never have imagined a subculture like Salmon fly tying or understood the incalculable scientific loss that theft caused if I had come across a simple article about this theft.

It is an engrossing read and I really felt connected to the world around me while reading it. It isn't the authors fault that the truth of things is sometimes extremely disheartening.

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katt's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.0

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