Unrepentant book thief John Charles Gilkey has stolen a fortune in rare books from around the US. Yet unlike most thieves, who steal for profit, Gilkey steals for love - the love of books. Perhaps equally obsessed is Ken Sanders, the self-appointed 'bibliodick' who's driven to catch him. Following this eccentric cat-and-mouse chase with a mixture of suspense, insight and humour, Allison Hoover Bartlett plunges the reader into a rich world of fanatical book lust and considers what it is that makes some people stop at nothing to possess the titles they love.

Reviews

In her first book, freelance writer Bartlett lifts the veil on the methods of John Charles Gilkey, a thief whose prey of choice was rare books (between 1999 and 2003 he stole approximately $100,000 worth of books from dealers nationwide). Equally fascinating is Gilkey's pursuer, Ken Sanders, a rare-books dealer-turned-amateur detective. Listeners are drawn into the convoluted mind of the thief, the determination of the dealer, and the author's own ambivalence as she becomes involved with both figures and begins to question her journalistic impartiality. Narrator Judith Brackley, who has a long career as a voice artist, brings the appropriate degree of calm and matter-of-fact narration to this engaging material. For all book lovers, book collectors, and readers of true crime. [The Riverhead hc was an LJ Best Book of 2009.-Ed.]-J. Sara Paulk, Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Cty. Lib., GA Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

"In this great read about the collector's obsession gone wrong, Ms. Bartlett gives us fascinating glimpses of the rare book world, the criminal mind and the limits of journalistic involvement. Anyone who has trouble passing a used bookstore without going in will love this book."
--Lynn H. Nicholas, author of "The Rape of Europa"
"Hats off to Allison Bartlett for a splendid contribution to the literature of bibliophilia/bibliomania, the John Gilkey-Ken 'bibliodick' Sanders story is one that cried out to be told, and she has accomplished it with style and substance. Very nicely done."
--Nicholas A. Basbanes, author of "A Gentle Madness"
"A fascinating journey into a strange, obsessive world where a love for books can sometimes become a fatal attraction."
--Simon Worrall, author of "The Poet and the Murderer"
"John Gilkey wanted to own a rich-man's library in the worst way, and was soon acquiring expensive first editions in the very worst way of all: theft. Allison Hoover Bartlett's "The Man Who Loved Books Too Much" is the enthralling account of a gently mad con artist and his fraudulent credit-card scams, but it's also a meditation on the urge to collect and a terrific introduction to the close-knit, swashbuckling world of antiquarian book dealers."
--Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and author of "Classics for Pleasure" and the memoir "An Open Book"
"Allison Hoover Bartlett has written a meticulous and fascinating book about a serial bookthief and the persistent sleuth who dogged him for years and finally caught him. It will be especially gripping for those of us who trade in antiquarian books, who owe much to Ken Sanders's persistence. A fine read."
--Larry McMurtry, bestselling author of "Books: A Memoir" and the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Lonesome Dove"
"With its brilliantly observed details, wry humor, and thrilling plot twists, Bartlett's narrative drew me deep into the obsessive world of a bo