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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Pleasantly surprised to be entertained about a feather heist, but really enjoyed the random tidbits and history around feather fanaticism.
I enjoyed this well thought out real-life exploration about a community of people obsessed with the hobby of Victorian fly-tying. I also liked the evolution the author went through on his quest to solve a mystery to right many wrongs that had taken place.
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This is a meticulously researched true-crime narrative. A large chunk of the book is given over to references and bibliographies, which has enabled the author to provide historical background and current-day context, in order to help the reader understand why the thief did what he did, and why it ended up being such a devastating loss to the scientific community. It's a truly fascinating read.
We begin this non-fiction story of the Feather Thief with Edwin Rist as he breaks into the Tring museum. Of course, its the author's recreation of the event after interviewing Rist, museum officials, and others, but it feels very definitive.
Then we are taken through a little tour of history in terms of feather collection- the explorers, the now-extinct birds, the fashion for whole birds on Victorian hats, etc.
Meanwhile, back in the book's present time, the author is fly fishing, and being troubled by what seems like inconsistencies in the heist story: like Rist's Asperger's diagnosis, his claims about being solo, the number of still-missing bird skins.
Woven throughout is a story of human greed, greed and men so obsessed with Victorian fly-tying using "authentic" materials that they will go to great lengths (including felony and the destroying of priceless historical records of extinct birds) to obtain them.
This book doesn't paint fly-tiers in a good light, by the way. And Rist comes off as a calculating villain.
The author does a good job of presenting his POV of the whole affair, I find myself completely frustrated at the consequences Rist faced and the evidence of further heists within the community (as well as stubborn insistence on remaining ignorant of conservation). Informative and interesting, but I took off a point because the "story" of the author's suspicions about whether Rist acted alone or not seemed silly to me as he narrated the heist at the start.
Then we are taken through a little tour of history in terms of feather collection- the explorers, the now-extinct birds, the fashion for whole birds on Victorian hats, etc.
Meanwhile, back in the book's present time, the author is fly fishing, and being troubled by what seems like inconsistencies in the heist story: like Rist's Asperger's diagnosis, his claims about being solo, the number of still-missing bird skins.
Woven throughout is a story of human greed, greed and men so obsessed with Victorian fly-tying using "authentic" materials that they will go to great lengths (including felony and the destroying of priceless historical records of extinct birds) to obtain them.
This book doesn't paint fly-tiers in a good light, by the way. And Rist comes off as a calculating villain.
The author does a good job of presenting his POV of the whole affair, I find myself completely frustrated at the consequences Rist faced and the evidence of further heists within the community (as well as stubborn insistence on remaining ignorant of conservation). Informative and interesting, but I took off a point because the "story" of the author's suspicions about whether Rist acted alone or not seemed silly to me as he narrated the heist at the start.
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
This was so interesting! I was livid to hear about Edwin Rist (Edwin Reinhard now) not doing any jail time for stealing bird specimens from a museum and even more unsettled about how many birds were slaughtered in the Victorian era all in the name of fashion. People are truly the worst species on this earth.
last book of 2023!
genuinely a really anticlimactic ending, but with something like this i guess there isn’t any other kind. the part where he starts plucking out the feathers gave me heart palpitations
genuinely a really anticlimactic ending, but with something like this i guess there isn’t any other kind. the part where he starts plucking out the feathers gave me heart palpitations
I listened to this book on a road trip with my teen. It was recommended reading for their AP English class. Finally, something current! What a unfamiliar and fascinating world this book flew us into. It felt quite educational at the start and gave rise to many questions throughout, including: how many suitcases did he have????? This was not a book I would have ever selected for myself, but honestly one I enjoyed and liked discussing with my teen.