The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Alison Hoover Bartlett

Which man is happier? He hath a library well nigh unto all the world's classics, or he hath thirteen daughters?

The happier man is the one with thirteen daughters, because he knoweth he hath enough...

Allison Hoover Bartlett is a journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Her original article about John Gilkey was included in the Best American Crime Reporting in 2007. This was the basis for The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession.

John Gilkey considers himself a rare book enthusiast who would do anything, including going to prison, to obtain them. This is a fascinating blend of three stories: Gilkey, an unrepentant rare book thief; Ken Sanders, a rare book seller and head of the security division for the American Booksellers Association; and Allison, who follows them both to discover a secret world of book theft.

Her story begins with obtaining a rare book published in 1630, which was accidentally stolen from a library. Efforts to return it to the library fail, and she wonders about other missing books. She begins at the annual New York Antiquarian Book Fair, where she learns how booksellers network to guard themselves against theft, and how book thieves con them with bad checks and stolen credit cards. There are many definitions of a rare book, from one which is worth more now than when it was published to the one you want now and can't find. There are even rare dust jacket sellers ("Don't judge a book by its contents!").

For most collectors, the admiration of others is not a driving force, but for Gilkey, it is the goal. It's unfair that others own these collections and not him, so to con the seller is just evening the scales. He dreams of a large English manor library with a smoking jacket and pipe, perhaps a globe next to the desk, and stacks of rare, valuable books—collected, but not to read. Never to read.

Allison follows attempts to warn small booksellers, and learns the value of first editions. She also follows John in and out of prison (the delays in his pursuit are the price he must endure for his goal) and learns his brazen methods, techniques, and reasons for becoming a book thief.

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much was an intriguing mix of crime reporting, character study, suspense, mystery, humor, and an entrance to the world of book history.

2010 / Paperback / 288 pages