George Fuld writes:
Though not on numismatic books, a new true story book might be of interest.
Allison H. Bartlett's "The Man Who Loved Books Too Much" refers to our word "bibliomania" repeatedly.
The book was published in 2009 and is available online. I took the cover image from Amazon, as well as this synopsis from Publisher's Weekly:
Bartlett delves into the world of rare books and those who collect—and steal—them with mixed results. On one end of the spectrum is Salt Lake City book dealer Ken Sanders, whose friends refer to him as a book detective, or Bibliodick. On the other end is John Gilkey, who has stolen over $100,000 worth of rare volumes, mostly in California. A lifelong book lover, Gilkey's passion for rare texts always exceeded his income, and he began using stolen credit card numbers to purchase, among others, first editions of Beatrix Potter and Mark Twain from reputable dealers.
Sanders, the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association's security chair, began compiling complaints from ripped-off dealers and became obsessed with bringing Gilkey to justice. Bartlett's journalistic position is enviable: both men provided her almost unfettered access to their respective worlds.
Gilkey recounted his past triumphs in great detail, while Bartlett's interactions with the unrepentant, selfish but oddly charming Gilkey are revealing (her original article about himself appeared in The Best Crime Reporting 2007). Here, however, she struggles to weave it all into a cohesive narrative. (Sept. 17)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Is it POSSIBLE to love books too much? I guess so. If anyone has read this book, please send us your review. George adds: "I would hate for Gilkey to go after our numismatic book dealers."
-Editor
To read more on Amazon, see:
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession
(www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Loved-Books-Much/dp/1594488916/)
THE BOOK BAZARRE
DAVID SKLOW - FINE NUMISMATIC BOOKS offers
the Q. David Bowers Research Library Sale Part III on October 9, 2010.
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