The Man Who Loved Books Too Much

by Allison Hoover Bartlett

In the tradition of The Orchid Thief, a compelling narrative set within the strange and genteel world of rare-book collecting: the true story of an infamous book thief, his victims, and the man determined to catch him.

Rare-book theft is even more widespread than fine-art theft. Most thieves, of course, steal for profit. John Charles Gilkey steals purely for the love of books. In an attempt to understand him better, journalist Allison Hoover Bartlett plunged herself into the world of book lust and discovered just how dangerous it can be.

John Gilkey is an obsessed, unrepentant book thief who has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of rare books from book fairs, stores, and libraries around the country. Ken Sanders is the self-appointed "bibliodick" (book dealer with a penchant for detective work) driven to catch him. Bartlett befriended both outlandish characters and found herself caught in the middle of efforts to recover hidden treasure. With a mixture of suspense, insight, and humor, she has woven this entertaining cat-and-mouse chase into a narrative that not only reveals exactly how Gilkey pulled off his dirtiest crimes, where he stashed the loot, and how Sanders ultimately caught him but also explores the romance of books, the lure to collect them, and the temptation to steal them. Immersing the reader in a rich, wide world of literary obsession, Bartlett looks at the history of book passion, collection, and theft through the ages, to examine the craving that makes some people willing to stop at nothing to possess the books they love.

• ISBN10: 1101139390
• ISBN13: 9781101139394
• Publish Date: 17 September 2009
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Riverhead Books
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[empressbrooke]

This book is called "The Man Who Loved Books Too Much" and the author notes more than once that John Gilkey stole books out of love for them as opposed to a desire for profit. However, after reading her interviews with Gilkey, I wasn't under the impression he cared about books at all. He seemed more obsessed with the idea of what owning rare, expensive books could do for peoples' perception of him. He never seemed to appreciate books in and of themselves, only what he perceived they could do for his social status.

So while I'd picked up this book thinking that it was about books, it was really more of a true crime novel that just happened to involve books. It was highly entertaining and a really quick read, but my take-away was that I'd gotten more insight into a sociopath's mind than I did into the world of rare book collecting. Not a negative point, but one that future readers may be interested in knowing before picking this book up.

[Eve1972]

I love all things "book", so there was more then a fair chance that I was going to love a book about books and the people who collect them! This is the story of John Gilkey, a book klepto and Ken Sanders a rare book collector and bibliodick, that makes it his life story to capture Gilkey.

[inlibrisveritas]

I'm so happy I won this book on Goodreads. The title alone was enough to hook me, I mean how can you love books too much?! Well apparently you can and John Gilkey was tremendously good at it. I've always wanted to collect books thanks to Beauty and the Beast, and this was right up my alley.

For someone who has no idea how or where to start with book collecting I would say that this was the perfect introduction to the world of rare books. There are definitions of the lingo and great explanations as to why the books are rare and desirable, also great insight on how a book collector works and lives. I'll be the first to admit that I thought that this was going to be a dry read since I don't normally read non-fiction and I've never really read anything about book collecting. I would say that Barlett does a lot to bring this story to life and to make the reader comfortable with all the information. Her writing style is very easy going and beautiful, and it flows wonderfully so that it makes it very hard to put down once you get into it. John Gilkey is a great focal point of a book and Barlett does a great job telling his story. He's got a very interesting personality and he's clearly not simply just a thief but a highly intelligent one.


It was truly a pleasure to read this and I would say that I want to collect books even more now. I recommend this book not only for reading but also to place on your shelf. It's definitely for someone who truly loves books and can read non-fiction.