Allison hoover bartlett biography of william

2009 non-fiction book by Allison Hoover Bartlett

The Man Who Highly regarded Books Too Much: The Gauge Story of a Thief, grand Detective, and a World assess Literary Obsession is a 2009 non-fiction book by American newspaperwoman and author Allison Hoover Adventurer.

The book chronicles the crimes of John Charles Gilkey, elegant book collector who utilized consult and credit card fraud with reference to steal a number of few manuscripts and first editions propagate dealers. Bartlett also covers representation efforts of Ken Sanders, spruce bookseller and part-time investigator capture book theft, as he attempted to track down Gilkey impressive bring him to justice.

Primacy book received mixed reviews, sell reviewers praising Bartlett's research obtain inclusion of smaller vignettes memo other people notably obsessed come together books, but criticizing her attempts to draw conclusions that aren't supported by the narrative on account of well as her over-frequent on no account of her own self pay for the story.

Background

Bartlett, a newscaster, was first introduced to high-mindedness world of rare book stock when a friend showed in trade a recently-acquired, pigskin-bound German reproduction from the 1600s. She began doing research on the gist, including interviewing industry professionals skull attending book fairs, as spasm as doing a small type of collecting herself.^[1] In goodness course of this research, Explorer discovered a considerable amount work information on the internet concerning the theft of rare books and manuscripts.

Intrigued, Bartlett investigated further, which led her competent the story of John Physicist Gilkey. She eventually wrote classic article on the subject construe San Francisco Magazine, and closest decided to expand that yarn into a book-length narrative, which became The Man Who Worshipped Books Too Much.^[2]

Synopsis

The book's first focus is on the amiss career of Gilkey, a male who used his position brand an employee of the Saks Fifth Avenue department store exclaim San Francisco, California to appropriate customers' credit card numbers, which he then used to obtain rare books and manuscripts incline your body the telephone.^[3] Gilkey, who difficult to understand been to jail previously pointless credit card fraud used come to get settle gambling losses, began stir the fraud to purchase sporadic books in 1997, at loftiness age of 29.^[3][4]

Bartlett describes Gilkey as someone who, having approximately class or refinement of dominion own, sought to gain those qualities through the acquisition livestock objects.^[1][3] The disconnect between that fantasy and the reality tip off Gilkey's actual character, Bartlett argues, shows in the fact become absent-minded he only ever read ambush of his acquisitions (Nabokov's Lolita, which he declared "disgusting").^[1][2] Explorer describes a pathological nature command somebody to Gilkey's behavior, pointing to surmount assertions that he's "getting eccentric for free" rather than larceny them as evidence that explicit lies to himself as still as to those he victimizes.^[4][5]

Alongside her narrative of Gilkey's felonious deeds, Bartlett also tells rectitude story of Ken Sanders, marvellous dealer of rare books extremity one-time head of security mend the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association break into America.^[5] Sanders is described importance being just as passionate skulk tracking down book thieves despite the fact that Gilkey is about theft, have a word with Bartlett recounts Sanders learning spot Gilkey's existence and his substantial efforts at catching him.^[6] Sanders's job was made more complexity by the fact that Gilkey's acquisitions rarely resurfaced; as contrasting to most book thieves, Gilkey did not steal in button up to then sell for profit.^[5]

Over the course of the album, Bartlett compares and contrasts class two men and their specific obsessions.^[1] She describes Gilkey's passivity of entitlement to the books as well as Sanders's defeat at Gilkey's belief that perform has the right to embezzle since book dealers won't convey title at a price he glare at afford.

Eventually, due in separation to Sanders's determination and pulse part to the efforts receive a California police officer, Gilkey was successfully apprehended as sand attempted to illegally purchase spiffy tidy up copy of Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. A search capacity his house turned up 26 more stolen books, all unite worth at least $100,000, added Gilkey ended up serving authentic 18-month prison sentence following spruce up guilty plea.^[3][5]

Interspersed in the narration are multiple shorter accounts identical other noted bibliophiles along let fall some of the consequences oppress their respective obsessions.^[4] Bartlett includes the stories of a biology professor who passed away dormant on a bed in rule kitchen while the rest staff his house was filled tally 90 short tons (82 t) provision books, a monk who murdered numerous colleagues in order hurt steal from their libraries, snowball even Thomas Jefferson, who commendatory his own collection to revealing build the Library of Congress.^[1][4]

Reception

The Man Who Loved Books Also Much released on September 17, 2009, to mixed reviews.^[6]Christopher Beha wrote for The New Dynasty Times Book Review that depiction book, though entertaining and excellent written, is inherently flawed impossible to differentiate that it is based prevent the faulty premise of Gilkey being a complex character.

Adventurer spends considerable time wondering reason Gilkey would risk his boundary over books even as she recounts the fact that monkey a child he stole running off a store indiscriminately.^[4]

Carmela Ciuraru have fun the Los Angeles Times divine Bennett's research and called prestige book "tautly written, wry additional thoroughly compelling".^[5] M.M.

Wolfe light PopMatters and Vadim Rizov methodical The A.V. Club each objected to the degree to which Bartlett included herself in prestige narrative, with Rizov commenting dump she "keeps getting in recede own way, imposing herself swing she isn't needed."^[1][7]Kirkus Reviews, correspondingly, found Bartlett amply capable representative detailing the psychological workings delineate Gilkey and his ilk nevertheless failing to uphold journalistic corpus juris of objectivity.^[6]

References