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apriladventuring's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
📚 2024 #42: “The Feather Thief” by Kirk Wallace Johnson
📕 This book is an exploration of one of the most fascinating heists of the 21st century. The author learned of the event while on a fly-fishing trip a couple years after it occurred and became consumed with finding out the fate of the thief and the remaining missing objects. In 2009, an up-and-coming flutist broke into the British Museum of Natural History to stuff suitcases full of rare and colorfully-plumaged birds. Johnson tracks the crime through the thief's fly tying obsession and the avid community, complete with an underground market for highly sought after -- and often illegal -- feathers.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5: Many thanks to Kevin R for recommending this book to me! I've been in need of good non-fiction that isn't self-help and this satisfied that craving. I learned about a hobby I had never heard of before (fly tying is a wild world!), some cool conservation history, and the crazy lack of monitoring trade and sales of illegal products. A bunch of clues were left when the thief sold feathers and birds through sites like eBay. It's pretty sad reading about obsessions that lead to the destruction of wildlife, but this did make for an interesting ride.
🤓 You should read this if you're a fan of true crime, heists, or conservancy (or all three). If you liked "Better Living Through Birding" by Christian Cooper or "Trail of the Lost" by Andrea Lankford, you might like this too.
📕 This book is an exploration of one of the most fascinating heists of the 21st century. The author learned of the event while on a fly-fishing trip a couple years after it occurred and became consumed with finding out the fate of the thief and the remaining missing objects. In 2009, an up-and-coming flutist broke into the British Museum of Natural History to stuff suitcases full of rare and colorfully-plumaged birds. Johnson tracks the crime through the thief's fly tying obsession and the avid community, complete with an underground market for highly sought after -- and often illegal -- feathers.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5: Many thanks to Kevin R for recommending this book to me! I've been in need of good non-fiction that isn't self-help and this satisfied that craving. I learned about a hobby I had never heard of before (fly tying is a wild world!), some cool conservation history, and the crazy lack of monitoring trade and sales of illegal products. A bunch of clues were left when the thief sold feathers and birds through sites like eBay. It's pretty sad reading about obsessions that lead to the destruction of wildlife, but this did make for an interesting ride.
🤓 You should read this if you're a fan of true crime, heists, or conservancy (or all three). If you liked "Better Living Through Birding" by Christian Cooper or "Trail of the Lost" by Andrea Lankford, you might like this too.
dillonbrantley's review against another edition
4.0
The Feather Thief offers insight into a fascinating (and yet simple) theft of a number of biologically-significant specimens from a museum. What is most interesting about the story is not the theft itself, but the motivations behind and investigation into it.
The author does a phenomenal job explaining the significance of these specimens, specifically citing the travels and hardships of notable biologist Alfred Russel Wallace. This background, although not new to me, was successful in getting mee more invested in the scientific and historical significance of these specimens. This success can surely, in part, be attributed to the author's passion and clear presentation.
The author does a phenomenal job explaining the significance of these specimens, specifically citing the travels and hardships of notable biologist Alfred Russel Wallace. This background, although not new to me, was successful in getting mee more invested in the scientific and historical significance of these specimens. This success can surely, in part, be attributed to the author's passion and clear presentation.