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

Good read!

If you read the Orchid Thief,..this book has almost the same feel. The author even acknowledges her love for that book. I rate this book as very good, but seemed to need more of an expanded ending. The author admits this too when she explains that John Gilky even tried to help her close the book well. What the author does very well, is identify the ways that books can have a grip over people....more

If you read the Orchid Thief,..this book has almost the same feel. The author even acknowledges her love for that book. I rate this book as very good, but seemed to need more of an expanded ending. The author admits this too when she explains that John Gilky even tried to help her close the book well. What the author does very well, is identify the ways that books can have a grip over people. This can be something that is extremely positive, but in the case of John Gilky, a negative one. If you love books, read this, you'll enjoy!   hide

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is non-fiction but reads like a novel. Bartlett does a fabulous job in capturing the mentality of the book thief and why he was compelled to steal.

Journalist Alison Bartlett tells the stories of a rare book thief who steals for pleasure, John Gilkey, and an equally eccentric amateur detective, Ken Sanders. It is an entertaining cat and mouse chase. Gilkey is definitely an interesting character...I was floored by the way he could easily justify his crimes and cons! I wish that there was some sort of confrontation between Sanders and Gilkey!...more

Journalist Alison Bartlett tells the stories of a rare book thief who steals for pleasure, John Gilkey, and an equally eccentric amateur detective, Ken Sanders. It is an entertaining cat and mouse chase. Gilkey is definitely an interesting character...I was floored by the way he could easily justify his crimes and cons! I wish that there was some sort of confrontation between Sanders and Gilkey! I kept waiting for it, but it never happened. Some of the sideline stories that Bartlett added are completely off track and random. Overall, I found it worth the short time it took to read.   hide

Who would steal an old book? I don't read many true crime books, but the subject matter of this one caught my interest. I love books and I was quite interested to see what could make someone steal so many rare volumes. The author, Allison Hoover Bartlett, a journalist, paints a picture of a man who is obsessed with having the trappings of “the good life.” He sees a library of...more

Who would steal an old book? I don't read many true crime books, but the subject matter of this one caught my interest. I love books and I was quite interested to see what could make someone steal so many rare volumes. The author, Allison Hoover Bartlett, a journalist, paints a picture of a man who is obsessed with having the trappings of “the good life.” He sees a library of expensive, rare volumes as something to show off, something that will give the appearance of wealth and culture and make people admire him. The book thief, John Charles Gilkey, allowed Bartlett to interview him about his crimes multiple times, over a period of years, in prison and out. He has served time for passing bad checks and for credit card fraud. He told Bartlett of his system for purchasing the books from book dealers with worthless checks or stolen credit card numbers. Ken Sanders is the book dealer that served as the security chair for the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA). The position involved collecting information on book thefts and disseminating it to ABAA members. He believed that several rare books thefts were related and dubbed the thief the “Northern California Credit Card Thief.” Bartlett details the thefts by Gilkey and the chase by Sanders that took place over years. The perseverance of Sanders was evidently key to linking Gilkey to many thefts. The author also includes information on rare book collecting and the prices some books command at auction. I particularly liked the bit about the fore-edge painting. I found this book a thoroughly enjoyable read and an intriguing look at rare book theft. It is clearly written and well organized. I appreciated that Bartlett gave enough background for an understanding of the people and events involved but doesn't go overboard with it. She skillfully portrays Gilkey's obsession with rare books and Sanders' quest to stop the thief. The historical details about other rare book collectors and thieves helped fit the story into the wider domain of rare book collecting. Bartlett's engaging style of writing made this a fast read. Once I got into the story, the pages flew by and I quickly reached the end of the book. I would recommend this book for anyone that enjoys reading about true crime or book collecting.   hide

Not bad reading, but I simply did not like the character as much as I thought I would.

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much tries to be many things: a primer into the world of rare book collecting, a look into the minds of remorseless thieves, and a study on those addicted to collecting of all kinds. But in many ways those subjects are explored more in depth than the main characters. While Bartlett spends literally years of her life befriending and interviewing John Gilkey, the...more

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much tries to be many things: a primer into the world of rare book collecting, a look into the minds of remorseless thieves, and a study on those addicted to collecting of all kinds. But in many ways those subjects are explored more in depth than the main characters. While Bartlett spends literally years of her life befriending and interviewing John Gilkey, the titular, seemingly schizophrenic book thief, we never get the big confrontation one might expect between him and "book dick" Ken Sanders. Bartlett also fails to call him on his lies, never calls him a thief to his face, and again and again allows him to rant about his odd rationalizations for stealing. The author tries to justify this, saying she's fearful Gilkey will cut off access, but even this doesn't seem to forgive her journalistic failings. This story started as a magazine article, and it shows, with odd tangents and conversations with people at book fairs that have little to do with the plot. Meanwhile, other potential interesting avenues, like the role Gilkey's father played in his crimes, go un-investigated. Overall, an interesting if flawed read.   hide

" I came to see that this story is not only about a collection of crimes but also about people's intimate and complex relationship to books. For centuries, refined book lovers and greedy con men have brushed up against one another in the rare book world, so in some ways this story is an ancient one. It's also a cautionary tale for those who plan to deal in rare books in the future....more

" I came to see that this story is not only about a collection of crimes but also about people's intimate and complex relationship to books. For centuries, refined book lovers and greedy con men have brushed up against one another in the rare book world, so in some ways this story is an ancient one. It's also a cautionary tale for those who plan to deal in rare books in the future. It may also be a session for those writers who, like me approach a story with naive belief that they will be able to follow it the way a spectator passively follows a parade, and that they will be able to leave without altering its course" - from The Man who loved Books too Much. An interesting story especially for those of us bibliophiles who may (or may not) be aware of our idiosyncrasies to our hobby.   hide

This book was very interesting and entertaining. I was impressed with the way the author was able to tell the story from the "thief's" point of view. This is a great novel for any true book lover!