The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession Audiobook

" The synopsis for this book reminded me of Edward Dolnick's books about art theft. Though this time, with books as the object of desire, I figured it was even more up my alley. This book focuses on John Gilkey, a man obsessed with books - not necessarily for their stories, but for their value. He fancies himself a sort of aristocrat who deserves the life and respect he believes comes with owning rare first editions and other highly sought after collectors items. He makes his way through book shows and used bookstores swindling owners left and right. The author meets with him in prison in an effort to understand why he steals. In addition she meets with the man who hunted Gilkey down, as well as various booksellers to understand the world of bookselling, and to uncover how such a wide-spread deception could occur. While the fundamental premise of this book is fascinating to me - unfortunately, I did not feel completely satisfied with the execution. I thought that the author touched on the psychological problems Gilkey suffered from and made an effort to speak to his family hoping to uncover more. In the end, however, I thought the book posed more questions than answers. This did, however, open my eyes to an entirely new world with respect to book loving. I don't really understand the value in old books - I just like them for their stories - though I do appreciate some good cover art. I'm not a collector of objects, so paying large sums for books that will never actually be touched or read is foreign to me. I thought the author explored this well - why Gilkey would become enamored with such a world, and how the various players in this world interact. I think so much more could have been done with the book, but it is an interesting story about a very strange character. "

" I saw this on the library shelf, was intrigued and am pleased I decided to read it. Allison Bartlett does a great job of writing an interesting story about rare books, a true life book thief and the book seller whose passion involves catching thieves as well as selling rare books. "

" A pretty good story of the identity thief who uses stolen credit card information to buy rare books and, to his mind, establish his reputation as a gentleman and scholar. His complete and utter lack of remorse is somewhat interesting. What isn't so much is all the rumination on why books fascinate collectors so. I guess I don't have a lot of interest in that question, a fact that was brought home when it was mentioned that book collectors rarely read the books they collect. As an indefatigable reader, this to me is literally judging a book by it's cover. "

" If you're a book lover, or even a collector, this may be an interesting book for you to read. It's about a book thief who will stop at nothing to collect books. But much more. I thouhgt that book was fine however the author Bartlett seemed to me more of a bubble gum journalist instead of a Morely Safer or Edward Murrow.... This is a quick read, so you could do worse this summer. "

" A fascinating true story of a man who stole books, mostly from dealers who sold rare and antiquarian books. It's also the story of the difficulty in catching him. And the author interviewed the thief multiple times, and why since he couldn't afford to buy the books, why he thought it was OK to steal them. Very interesting "

" I very much enjoyed learning about the world of rare books and their collectors. Found myself wanting to go out and search for first editions and signed copies. The story of the book thief himself was somewhat less intriguing. Overall a recommended read for any book lover. "

" I read about half of this book. It's interesting and something I will probably pick up and finish reading at some point. I just wasn't feeling the non-fiction piece of it. "

" An interesting, somewhat creepy book. "

" Wonderful story telling. A great story. Not as suspenseful as I had hoped, but a passionate author with a story for the bibliomaniac in all of us. "

" I loved being introduced to the fascinating world of rare book collecting. Gilkey was and always will be a book thief. The author's insights and methods added to the experience. It made me want to run my hands over some really old books. "

" Easy read great for bibliophiles of all degrees. "

" If you're really interested in books on books you should read the work of John Dunning and his Bookman series. As for this book it was okay but nothing to write home about. "

" This isn't a book, it's the notes for a book. Trivially written with an intrusive narrator. "

" An interesting story, not told quite as coherently as I would have liked. "

" Non-fiction story about a book thief. "

" The story as a whole was good, but it got too repetitious. "

" Not what I expected.... Gives a good insight into collecting books though. "

" Very informative on the world of book collecting, and quite fascinating overall. "

" Eh. Interesting true story. I had some ethical issues with the portrayals, however. "

" Interesting hook into the world of rare books, as well as the obsessions that propel it. Light and quick read. "

" A mystery book about books! What more do you need? "

" I met the "biblio-detective" at a book club program before reading this book. It was interesting to me, but it probably wouldn't be interesting to most people. "

" Clear writing and excellent research, Barlett tells the true story of a man who stole books! She gives great background to book collectors, old editions, book fairs, and the entire book collecting fanatic! I loved it. "

" What a great book! This was as interesting as a detective novel. I really enjoyed reading this!! "

" It was an interesting concept - the story of a book thief who rationalized his stealing because of his desire to own marvelous old books - however, Bartlett couldn't keep herself out of the stroy and she was a huge distraction. "

" Interesting book. Has a local area connection. Made me look at my book collection (ha!) differently. "

" A fun read, to be sure. Fascinating to learn about the world of rare books. But must confess, this is one of those books you should not judge by the cover: the cover is far more intriguing than the book itself. "

" This book misses the opportunity to provide insight into the world of antiquarian book dealers and the subculture of fraud, theft and obsession that constitutes its dark side. Instead, Bartlett provides an exploration of her own identity. Well written, but not what it purports to be. "