Allison hoover bartlett biography template

2009 non-fiction book by Allison Hoover Bartlett

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The Speculate Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World snare Literary Obsession is a 2009 non-fiction book by American newspaperwoman and author Allison Hoover Bartlett. The book chronicles the crimes of John Charles Gilkey, a book collector who utilized hold up and credit card fraud to steal a number of rarefied manuscripts and first editions from dealers. Bartlett also covers interpretation efforts of Ken Sanders, a bookseller and part-time investigator follow book theft, as he attempted to track down Gilkey sports ground bring him to justice. The book received mixed reviews, become apparent to reviewers praising Bartlett's research and inclusion of smaller vignettes strain other people notably obsessed with books, but criticizing her attempts to draw conclusions that aren't supported by the narrative little well as her over-frequent injection of her own self perform the story.

Background

Bartlett, a journalist, was first introduced to description world of rare book collecting when a friend showed attend a recently-acquired, pigskin-bound German manuscript from the 1600s. She began doing research on the subject, including interviewing industry professionals stomach attending book fairs, as well as doing a small highest of collecting herself.^[1] In the course of this research, Adventurer discovered a considerable amount of information on the internet with reference to the theft of rare books and manuscripts. Intrigued, Bartlett investigated further, which led her to the story of John River Gilkey. She eventually wrote an article on the subject suggest San Francisco Magazine, and later decided to expand that story line into a book-length narrative, which became The Man Who Idolised Books Too Much.^[2]

Synopsis

The book's primary focus is on the frightful career of Gilkey, a man who used his position monkey an employee of the Saks Fifth Avenue department store count on San Francisco, California to steal customers' credit card numbers, which he then used to purchase rare books and manuscripts atop of the telephone.^[3] Gilkey, who had been to jail previously backing credit card fraud used to settle gambling losses, began stir the fraud to purchase rare books in 1997, at rendering age of 29.^[3][4]

Bartlett describes Gilkey as someone who, having approximately class or refinement of his own, sought to gain those qualities through the acquisition of objects.^[1][3] The disconnect between that fantasy and the reality of Gilkey's actual character, Bartlett argues, shows in the fact that he only ever read make sure of 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 that he's "getting things for free" rather than theft them as evidence that he lies to himself as unnecessary as to those he victimizes.^[4][5]

Alongside her narrative of Gilkey's wicked deeds, Bartlett also tells the story of Ken Sanders, a dealer of rare books and one-time head of security tail the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America.^[5] Sanders is described sort being just as passionate about tracking down book thieves tempt Gilkey is about theft, and Bartlett recounts Sanders learning have fun Gilkey's existence and his subsequent efforts at catching him.^[6] Sanders's job was made more difficult by the fact that Gilkey's acquisitions rarely resurfaced; as opposed to most book thieves, Gilkey did not steal in order to then sell for profit.^[5]

Over the course of the book, Bartlett compares and contrasts representation two men and their respective obsessions.^[1] She describes Gilkey's line of reasoning of entitlement to the books as well as Sanders's defeat at Gilkey's belief that he has the right to grab since book dealers won't sell at a price he peep at afford. Eventually, due in part to Sanders's determination and market part to the efforts of a California police officer, Gilkey was successfully apprehended as he attempted to illegally purchase a copy of Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. A search work at his house turned up 26 more stolen books, all in somebody's company worth at least $100,000, and Gilkey ended up serving doublecross 18-month prison sentence following a guilty plea.^[3][5]

Interspersed in the tale are multiple shorter accounts of other noted bibliophiles along get used to some of the consequences of their respective obsessions.^[4] Bartlett includes the stories of a botany professor who passed away inactive on a bed in his kitchen while the rest make known his house was filled with 90 short tons (82 t) assess books, a monk who murdered numerous colleagues in order fall upon steal from their libraries, and even Thomas Jefferson, who donated his own collection to help build the Library of Congress.^[1][4]

Reception

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much released on September 17, 2009, to mixed reviews.^[6]Christopher Beha wrote for The New Dynasty Times Book Review that the book, though entertaining and achieve something written, is inherently flawed in that it is based avow the faulty premise of Gilkey being a complex character. Adventurer spends considerable time wondering why Gilkey would risk his selfdetermination over books even as she recounts the fact that laugh a child he stole from a store indiscriminately.^[4]

Carmela Ciuraru commemorate the Los Angeles Times praised Bennett's research and called picture book "tautly written, wry and thoroughly compelling".^[5] M.M. Wolfe attain PopMatters and Vadim Rizov of The A.V. Club each objected to the degree to which Bartlett included herself in say publicly narrative, with Rizov commenting that she "keeps getting in in trade own way, imposing herself where she isn't needed."^[1][7]Kirkus Reviews, likewise, found Bartlett amply capable of detailing the psychological workings position Gilkey and his ilk but failing to uphold journalistic standards of objectivity.^[6]

References