The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession
by Allison Hoover Bartlett
Riverhead Books, 2009
Comments: The inclination to collect physical objects of some sort is a common characteristic of most people, but for some the compulsion goes far beyond casual pursuit and into the realm of the rabid. For collectible objects of great value, such as rare books, it can even lead to criminal behavior. This book is about the intersecting lives of two men at the extremes of a passion for books: one an unrepentant thief of fine editions and the other a successful book dealer who's compelled to try and catch him.
This is basically a good old fashioned crime story. It also provides a great deal of background on how the book business works, particularly with regard to the trade and collecting of used and rare books. What's most remarkable about he story is that the author had an established a relationship with both men during the period that many of the books were stolen and had their complete involvement in documenting the events. This naturally created a certain amount of moral conflict for the author -- as it often does in journalistic writing -- and she brings her own struggle with these issues to the tale. But having the story so directly informed by the conflicting first-hand perspectives does much to flesh out the characters and add interest to the sequence of events.
This book will best be appreciated by those with an interest in book collecting. It provides enough insight beyond ordinary knowledge in that realm to make for an engaging read by book aficionados. It may also leave then wondering about the extent of their own passions on the relative scale of compulsion.
Copy Notes: Hardback, first edition
