The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession

A Note on Sources

It’s probably no surprise that there are many books about rare books and those who collect them. To read them is to learn the rich history of the book, the varied forms it has taken, and why some periods, genres, authors, illustrators, and presses lend collectible charm to a selection of them. Surprisingly few books, on the other hand, detail the deeds of book thieves. The bulk of this information I found in periodicals and by interviewing those who have had firsthand experience with them. Readers interested in learning more are advised to visit rare book libraries and bookstores, where they will be able not only to see, touch, even read, fine old books, but also to hear for themselves stories that have never been put to paper, never bound into a book.

While there are several fine memoirs by and biographies of individual collectors, the following books offer readers an expansive view of the rare book world and those who inhabit it:

Nicholas Basbanes, Among the Gently Mad; A Gentle Madness; Patience and Fortitude; and A Splendor of Letters

Philipp Blom, To Have and To Hold

Rick Gekoski, Nabokov’s Butterfly: And Other Stories of Great Authors and Books

Holbrook Jackson, The Anatomy of Bibliomania

Robert H. Jackson and Carol Zeman Rothkopf, eds., Book Talk: Essays on Books, Booksellers, Collecting, and Special Collections

Werner Muensterberger, Collecting: An Unruly Passion: Psychological Perspectives

Harold Rabinowitz and Rob Kaplan, A Passion for Books: Book Lover’s Treasury of Stories, Essays, Humor, Love and Lists on Collecting, Reading, Borrowing, Lending, Caring for, and Appreciating Books

William Targ, Bouillabaisse for Bibliophiles

And this is an invaluable dictionary of terms:

John Carter, ABC for Book Collectors