How could a book lover resist a book about a man who loves books?!

This was a decent, though not fantastic, read about book collectors, rare bookshop owners, and rare book thieves. The author spends time with all of the above and gives an interesting glimpse into the world of rare books.

Taking to release at the book buffet at the annual BC-in-DC Holiday party.

Picked up at today's BCinDC holiday party. So great to see you, Firegirl!

We all know about thieves who steal rare books so they can resell them for money. But what about the ones who steal them just because they want them? That's what we have here, a rare look into the mind of a hoarder who can't afford - or feels like he shouldn't have to pay for - his collection of choice. It's also about the amateur bookseller detective who caught him. I still don't entirely understand the desire to amass books you don't read, but this gave me a little more of a glimpse into that world. Recommended.

Bringing this to today's BCinDC meetup in Alexandria, VA.

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I don't need more books on my Mt. TBR, but I just couldn't resist this title.

I have always considered myself a book lover, and so I found the title here a bit puzzling when I first saw it. But after reading the book, I realize that there are different kinds of book lovers. I am definitively NOT a collector. I love books for their contents...I am a reader. To me books convey stories that need to be shared, so I don't hold onto my books. As a reader, I don't know how it would be possible to love books too much. However, for collectors, this is abundantly possible, as shown in this book.

This book is really a couple of stories. It is an exploration of the world of rare book collecting, a look at the books they collect, and the personalities of those who do the collecting. We visit the book fairs and book shops where these books change hands, and learn about what makes these books collectible. But it is also the story of a particular collector, John Gilkey, who wanted to build a collection of rare books, and felt no obligation to actually pay for the books he added to his collection.

Gilkey is a strange character. Superficially polite and well-groomed, he doesn't have any concept that stealing is wrong. To all appearances, his moral compass simply doesn't address theft, especially when it comes to rare books, and he consistently deflects blame to other sources whenever he talks about taking books he wants. It is interesting that he seemed to consider time served in jail/prison to just be part of the cost of collecting.

I found this book to be an entertaining and fascinating look into a world of collecting that was only peripherally in my awareness. It helped me understand my own attachment to books by contrasting it to those who feel compelled to collect them.

This book will be available at the July BC-in-DC meeting.

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Grabbed this during the BC in DC meetup in July 2019. This looks really good - but I decided to put it in the LFL first.

OK - now that I see how many people read this book.. maybe I'll reconsider.