The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession
by Allison Hoover Bartlett
The recap
John Charles Gilkey loves rare books, just not enough to pay for them. Using check fraud and stolen credit card numbers, he acquires first editions and precious manuscripts from dealers who never see their money, quietly assembling a library of treasures he has no right to. Ken Sanders, a Salt Lake City bookseller with a taste for detective work, makes it his mission to stop him. Journalist Allison Hoover Bartlett gets to know both men and soon finds herself uncomfortably in the middle, listening to the thief's reasoning while the sleuth grows ever more exasperated. Around their cat-and-mouse story she sketches the wider world of book lovers, with vignettes of other collectors whose devotion tips into obsession. Bartlett is candid about her own role in the tale, and that candour becomes part of its texture. The result is a light-footed, slightly rueful look at desire and ownership, and at how thin the line can be between a passionate collector and a criminal.
Why read it
For bibliophiles who have ever coveted a particular edition, and for anyone who enjoys true crime with more eccentricity than violence.
Fun facts
- 01
Ken Sanders, the bookseller at the heart of the hunt, is known to his friends as the "Bibliodick".
- 02
Sanders served as security chair for the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, which put him on the trail of book thieves.
- 03
Gilkey's retail job at Saks gave him access to large numbers of credit card numbers.
- 04
Riverhead Books published the hardcover in 2009 and a paperback edition followed in October 2010.
