A book thief meets his match
chronicle
Is it possible to love books too much? Writer Allison Hoover Bartlett
thinks so, given the reaction she often gets to her new book, "The Man
Who Loved Books Too Much" (Amazon.com: http://u.nu/58ig4 ).
"I can't tell you how many people have picked up the book and read the
title and said, 'Huh! That's me,' " Bartlett says.
"Some people care so deeply about books," she adds, "they're willing
to do just about anything to get their hands on the books that they
love."
But even the most obsessive book lovers won't see much of themselves
in Bartlett's title character. "The man," John Gilkey, is a convicted
thief who covets a vast collection of rare books he sees as his ticket
to social acceptance and regal bearing.
Bartlett interviewed Gilkey during a three-year period while he was
both in and out of jail for passing bad checks and violating parole.
Some interviews took place at the scenes of some of Gilkey's book-
related crimes...
Continued: http://u.nu/86ig4 (includes audio interview + book
excerpt)