A review by thalia16
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson

informative mysterious medium-paced

3.0

Incredibly informative book about humanity's evolving relationship to birds (studying, possessing, using, trading), however I would argue the analysis into the dark side of possession of natural wonders like birds of paradise doesn't go deep enough. The fathers of natural history are regarded in an uncomplicatedly positive light, where there is certainly room to question their methods of collection, the role they played in bringing on the victorian feather obsession and the ways that their studies superceded the knowledge of indigenous peoples who had been living among these birds far longer. Gender was also an under-discussed dynamic for a topic so centered on fields primarily and historically led by men. Johnson refers to "men and women" fly tiers but every major player in this book, save the author's wife and the detective tasked with the original Tring case, are men. 
Overall I learned a lot that I didn't know before, but I can't help but be left sitting with all the analysis and questions still left on the table.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death and Mental illness