Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
The Feather Thief is an assuredly captivating true-crime story merging the author’s own interest in Victorian fly-tying with his research on the history of ornithological hobbies and collections (lots of fun facts!) Wallace-Johnson takes the reader on his insatiable quest for answers about the largest rare bird collection heist ever known, and no stone is left unturned.
A somewhat intriguing expose on the destructive nature of obsession. Though I'm not sure that I can say I enjoyed this book, since my main emotions while reading it were annoyed, disappointed, or just plain baffled. I will never understand how a bunch of privileged white men can feel so entitled to something they do not deserve that they'll blatantly break laws, spend exorbitant amounts of money, cheat their friends, and steal from the world's bank of knowledge. And all for the love of fly tying. A hobby! A silly, stupid hobby! Yeah, I said it. Give me a break, dudes.
The book itself was well-written. At first I didn't understand why all of the historical background was included, but as the book went on, it became obvious why this information was important to include and I appreciated the lessons I learned about "the feather craze" and A.R. Wallace. However, despite being well written, just the story itself was infuriating! The reasons given for why people contributed to the extinction or near extinction of species, whether a hobbyist/fetishist or academic scholar, was incredibly frustrating. Both sides can't seem to see how they are on different sides of the same coin that exploits nature for self-serving reasons (though, admittedly, the tie-tying hobbyists definitely are more egomaniacal, in which the mental gymnastics they pull to excuse their behavior is astonishing). It becomes apparent which side of the coin Johnson is on during his pursuit of the missing skins and interesting how he lacks the introspection to realize this point.
Despite this, it was even more infuriating how someone could fake an Aspergers diagnosis to avoid facing any real consequences of their inane actions, which leads to them not having learned anything from the consequences of their actions! Most people who are autistic, including those with Aspergers aren't committing crimes!
Given the strong moral reaction I had to the book, it definitely is one that I recommend reading though with caution as it is really exasperating how, no matter how you look it, there is no justice, especially with an increasing number of species extinctions and near extinctions.
Despite this, it was even more infuriating how someone could fake an Aspergers diagnosis to avoid facing any real consequences of their inane actions, which leads to them not having learned anything from the consequences of their actions! Most people who are autistic, including those with Aspergers aren't committing crimes!
Given the strong moral reaction I had to the book, it definitely is one that I recommend reading though with caution as it is really exasperating how, no matter how you look it, there is no justice, especially with an increasing number of species extinctions and near extinctions.
Fascinating look into the arcane and obsessive world of the vintage fly-tying community. This true tale revolves around the theft of a number of priceless and scientifically invaluable bird skins from a museum in England and the apprehension of the culprit. The book is well written and moves along at a brisk pace.
The story exposes a lesser known area of wildlife trafficking involving the buying and selling of the feathers belonging rare or endangered birds, solely for the purpose of recreating Victorian era salmon fishing flies. Much of this trade takes place on Ebay and the company is doing little but paying lip service to halting these sales. Of course, it is the fly-tying community itself that creates demand for these feathers, making these buyers morally equivalent to the end purchasers of elephant ivory and rhino horn.
The story exposes a lesser known area of wildlife trafficking involving the buying and selling of the feathers belonging rare or endangered birds, solely for the purpose of recreating Victorian era salmon fishing flies. Much of this trade takes place on Ebay and the company is doing little but paying lip service to halting these sales. Of course, it is the fly-tying community itself that creates demand for these feathers, making these buyers morally equivalent to the end purchasers of elephant ivory and rhino horn.
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
I loved this book. White collar art crime is so intriguing and I loved that the book delved into the history of how the bird specimens were acquired and the whole history behind the feather trade, not only for fashion, but also for fly fishing. I had no clue that fly fishing had this whole undercurrent of black market and illegal feather trading. It's really heart breaking to know that these birds are getting stolen from museums and killed from owners for fly-fishing.
informative
reflective
fast-paced
informative
fast-paced
This is so readable, so engaging, I burned though it without even trying. You get just the right amount of history and context to this bonkers feather heist, I feel like Johnson really cracks open this community and the impulse to horde feathers regardless of it's ecological impact. I was really disappointed with the end, and it feels like Johnson is too. But, sometimes we don't get the ending we want and that's what we get for reading nonfiction.