Monday, January 11, 2010

Booking It--Gifts


What books did you get for Christmas?

My oldest son got me The Man Who Loved Books Too Much. Sounds really interesting, doesn't it? He also gave me an Amazon.com gift certificate, which I may use to finish out my Jodi Picoult collection. I admit it; I'm hooked.

Which books did you get?

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.

2 comments:

Alex said...

I received Atlas Shrugged, which has been on my reading list for some time. I also treated myself to a couple of Christmas books--The Poisonwood Bible and Catch-22.

Stephanie said...

I LOVE Poisonwood Bible--let me know what you think after you've read it. I've got Atlas Shrugged on my nightstand. Maybe I'll get around to it this year.