"The Book Thief is a highly entertaining and thought provoking study into the mind of a rare book thief. It works nicely on several levels: an exciting true crime potboiler, a gripping courtroom drama, and a fascinating peek into the rarefied air of the world of rare books and manuscripts. It's a unique story that pits a slippery thief against a scholarly rare books librarian. The resolution of this war of wits will surprise you." -- Will Manley, Library Columnist, Booklist and American Libraries
Travis McDade is a lawyer and librarian, with experience working with rare manuscripts. He is currently the Legal Research columnist for Student Lawyer magazine, an ABA publication for law students. In addition, he is Assistant Professor of Library Administration in the College of Law at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
"This non-fictional account of DS' crime, his capture, his trial,
his sentencing, escape, re-capture, re-sentencing makes for some
very interesting reading. The author seems to wander far afield, at
times, leaving the reader initially wondering what possible link
the information has with the primary subject.but, in every case,
the relevance is revealed.and the whole makes for a very good
story. Recommended reading. some of the testimony by Jean Ashton
(of Columbia's RBML), regarding the value of stolen items (and the
damage caused), is extremely interesting to those involved in the
rare book/manuscript world." - RMABA
"As a librarian/lawyer, McDade is uniquely qualified to relate the
saga of a larcenous bibliophile who stole some $18 million of rare
books and letters from Columbia U.'s library in the spring of 1994.
Drawing on interviews with people involved in the story, but
purposely excluding Spiegelman, he chronicles not only the events
but also the court's groundbreaking application of federal
sentencing guidelines to rare and unique elements of our cultural
heritage. (They really threw the book at him!)" - Reference &
Research Book News
"McDades book is the first book-length account of a book thief. A
librarian and a lawyer, McDade focuses on rare book thefts and the
legal trials that follow. What holds McDades attention in the
Spiegelman case is Judge Kaplans unique, groundbreaking sentencing.
The Book Thief reads like a thriller with its suspenseful, gripping
narrative of how Spiegelman planned and executed the theft.
Columbias Butler library is equipped with high tech security
systems, and yet Spiegelman broke in. Like all old libraries,
McDade tells us, Columbias Butler also had one small security flaw.
And one flaw was enough. Im not going to say what it was or mention
anything more about how Spiegelman did it. Its a fascinating tale,
and one that you should discover for yourself in the book....[t]he
most intriguing, compelling, satisfying book about books published
in a long, long time." - The Hindu
"[F]or those concerned with the protection of our cultural heritage
from people like Spiegelman, McDade has written a book well worth
reading." - PhiloBiblos (blog)
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