The Man Who Loved Books Too Much

One of the things that I really enjoy doing is browsing through book stores.  As a collector, sometimes I am looking for something rare (as you may have guessed by some of the posts on this blog).  Sometimes, I am looking for something very specific, in a very specific category.  And sometimes, I am just looking...period.  But the cool part about a book store and book collecting is that it is such a rich hobby.  You can collect from any number of authors or subjects, art books, first editions, or even just collect bindings and fore-edge paintings.  Some people collect books about books...and that gets us to this book featured here, "The Man Who Loved Books Too Much", by Allison Hoover Bartlett.

A couple of years ago I got this for Christmas and it really was a great read.  It is a thriller, a mystery and a book about collecting all wrapped into one.  The true story of a man who...well, I don't really want to give it away, but the title says enough...he loved books too much.  

The problem chronicled in this book is not an uncommon one.  Criminals steal paintings from galleries, comic art at comic conventions, small antiques from mall dealers and high end dealers, and yes, they steal rare books.  A while ago, a comic dealer friend of mine had some original art stolen from his store.  My original thought was (and actually still is), "What an idiot!"  You can't display it and share it with people, there is only one...and for high end comic art, there are sites that track stolen work.  At the end of the day, collectibles are meant to be shared and enjoyed with other people...not holed up secretly where only one person can see them.  (Reminds me of the Getty Museum in LA...now THAT is the way to share a collection!)

Anyway...I have updated my Amazon recommended list to the right if you want to find a copy of this read.  I highly recommend it for book lovers and even non-book lovers.  It's an interesting peak into the whole world of rare books and rare book dealers.  

Until next time..(hopefully sooner rather than later)