I loved this book. There, I said it. I don’t need to say it again even though I feel compelled to. Rarely do I feel comfortable paying full price at Border’s for a new book, when I always suspect that book will go on sale in a month or a few weeks. Indeed when I picked this one up, I put it back down and picked it up again several times in my wanderings. The last time I picked it I started to read and was greeted by these words
For him that stealeth, or borroweth, and returneth not, this book from
its owner…let bookworms gnaw his entrails in token of the Worm
That dieth not, & when at last he goeth to his final punishment, let
the flames of Hell consume him forever.
–Anathema in a medieval manuscript from the Monastary
of San Pedro in Barcelona
At that moment I knew this was the book for me and I do not regret paying full price.
Booklovers will appreciate this book because it focuses on their obsession and some other interesting characters who share this love. Ken Sanders owns a rare book store in Salt Lake City. John Gilkey is the do nothing, blame others, con man out to fence books. In the world of rare books where security is lax and trust runs high, Gilkey was able to amass quite the collection.
The author does on excellent job of providing just enough ancillary information to acquaint the ordinary citizen with some rare book know how. Her journalistic and personable writing style made the book pleasant to read and if one has a few hours one can finish it in a sitting. The greatest thing is that you WANT to finish it in a sitting. You want to understand what John Gilkey is thinking. You want Ken Sanders to find a policeman to take the book thefts seriously. You want to find out how it ends. And like all good stories, it doesn’t really.
I praise the author for finding a true and contemporary story, researching, and presenting the flacks with literary flair. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much will appeal to the person who wants a little light reading, the crime buff, and the book lover. I’ll read this one again, soon.
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