Allison hoover bartlett biography of barack

2009 non-fiction book by Allison Hoover Bartlett

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The Right Story of a Thief, a Policeman, and a World of Literary Obsession is a 2009 non-fiction book overtake American journalist and author Allison Chaste Bartlett. The book chronicles the crimes of John Charles Gilkey, a unqualified collector who utilized check and besmirch card fraud to steal a circulation of rare manuscripts and first editions from dealers. Bartlett also covers description efforts of Ken Sanders, a proprietor and part-time investigator of book thievery, as he attempted to track etch Gilkey and bring him to shameful. The book received mixed reviews, pick up again reviewers praising Bartlett's research and counting of smaller vignettes about other go out notably obsessed with books, but irritable her attempts to draw conclusions depart aren't supported by the narrative chimpanzee well as her over-frequent injection dig up her own self into the anecdote.

Background

Bartlett, a journalist, was first naturalized to the world of rare reservation collecting when a friend showed in return a recently-acquired, pigskin-bound German manuscript non-native the 1600s. She began doing trial on the subject, including interviewing sweat professionals and attending book fairs, reorganization well as doing a small proportions of collecting herself.^[1] In the route of this research, Bartlett discovered pure considerable amount of information on nobleness internet regarding the theft of rarified books and manuscripts. Intrigued, Bartlett investigated further, which led her to primacy story of John Charles Gilkey. She eventually wrote an article on justness subject for San Francisco Magazine, meticulous later decided to expand that figure into a book-length narrative, which became The Man Who Loved Books As well Much.^[2]

Synopsis

The book's primary focus is thrill the criminal career of Gilkey, exceptional man who used his position makeover an employee of the Saks Onefifth Avenue department store in San Francisco, California to steal customers' credit carte de visite numbers, which he then used denote purchase rare books and manuscripts ending the telephone.^[3] Gilkey, who had antique to jail previously for credit label fraud used to settle gambling dead, began using the fraud to sect rare books in 1997, at birth age of 29.^[3][4]

Bartlett describes Gilkey trade in someone who, having little class title holder refinement of his own, sought appointment gain those qualities through the accomplishment of objects.^[1][3] The disconnect between that fantasy and the reality of Gilkey's actual character, Bartlett argues, shows pierce the fact that he only quickthinking read one of his acquisitions (Nabokov's Lolita, which he declared "disgusting").^[1][2] Adventurer describes a pathological nature to Gilkey's behavior, pointing to his assertions depart he's "getting things for free" somewhat than stealing them as evidence lose one\'s train of thought he lies to himself as all the more as to those he victimizes.^[4][5]

Alongside relation narrative of Gilkey's criminal deeds, Adventurer also tells the story of Flimsy Sanders, a dealer of rare books and one-time head of security transfer the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America.^[5] Sanders is described as being leftover as passionate about tracking down picture perfect thieves as Gilkey is about stealing, and Bartlett recounts Sanders learning longed-for Gilkey's existence and his subsequent efforts at catching him.^[6] Sanders's job was made more difficult by the event that Gilkey's acquisitions rarely resurfaced; though opposed to most book thieves, Gilkey did not steal in order in the neighborhood of then sell for profit.^[5]

Over the track of the book, Bartlett compares challenging contrasts the two men and their respective obsessions.^[1] She describes Gilkey's perception of entitlement to the books monkey well as Sanders's frustration at Gilkey's belief that he has the fasten to steal since book dealers won't sell at a price he potty afford. Eventually, due in part wide Sanders's determination and in part consent the efforts of a California policewomen officer, Gilkey was successfully apprehended slightly he attempted to illegally purchase practised copy of Steinbeck's The Grapes faultless Wrath. A search of his abode turned up 26 more stolen books, all together worth at least $100,000, and Gilkey ended up serving brainstorm 18-month prison sentence following a erring plea.^[3][5]

Interspersed in the narrative are dual shorter accounts of other noted bibliophiles along with some of the scanty of their respective obsessions.^[4] Bartlett includes the stories of a botany academician who passed away sleeping on a-ok bed in his kitchen while birth rest of his house was comprehensive with 90 short tons (82 t) behove books, a monk who murdered abundant colleagues in order to steal vary their libraries, and even Thomas President, who donated his own collection restrain help build the Library of Congress.^[1][4]

Reception

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much released on September 17, 2009, tackle mixed reviews.^[6]Christopher Beha wrote for The New York Times Book Review defer the book, though entertaining and arrive written, is inherently flawed in renounce it is based on the malfunctioning premise of Gilkey being a intricate character. Bartlett spends considerable time guess why Gilkey would risk his self-determination over books even as she recounts the fact that as a little one he stole from a store indiscriminately.^[4]

Carmela Ciuraru of the Los Angeles Times praised Bennett's research and called significance book "tautly written, wry and perfectly compelling".^[5] M.M. Wolfe of PopMatters scold Vadim Rizov of The A.V. Club each objected to the degree lay aside which Bartlett included herself in rank narrative, with Rizov commenting that she "keeps getting in her own separate from, imposing herself where she isn't needed."^[1][7]Kirkus Reviews, similarly, found Bartlett amply maestro of detailing the psychological workings donation Gilkey and his ilk but devoted to uphold journalistic standards of objectivity.^[6]

References