Book Review: "The Man Who Loved Books Too Much" by Allison Hoover Bartlett

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

Author: Allison Hoover Bartlett

Publisher: Riverhead Books (Penguin Group)

ISBN, PUB Date: 1594484813, October 5, 2010

Reviewed by: Jennifer Shaw for Author Exposure

As an avid reader, I covet the works of my favorite authors. It is an obsession, to say the very least. Locating these literary works and meeting the authors is a large part of the obsession that leads to my obtaining these much-coveted items in my own personal collection. What is it that you covet in the literary world?

Bartlett delves deep into the literary world of collectors in this amazing true crime novel. She introduces us to John Gilkey, a man that is obsessed with owning rare books. His need to have his own personal collection really takes him beyond the average collector’s need to collect. I found his story to be entertaining and very realistic. It was interesting to see just how far he would go to acquire what he wanted.

With every thief there is sure to be a detective hot on his/her trail, trying desperately to solve the crimes he/she has committed; The Man That Loved Books Too Much is no different. Ken Sanders is that detective. To go one step further, Ken, is also a book dealer. I didn’t get the typical cop/detective feel from Ken. He wasn’t fully forthcoming with details, which I did find slightly annoying. The chase was what intrigued me most in regards to Ken.

Overall, Bartlett told an amazing story of these two men, giving the reader a bird’s eye view of the book collector’s world. Bartlett’s research definitely showed with the turn of each page. Readers that enjoy true crime will be entertained and enthralled in this thrilling tale where book collecting and crime become one.