The man who loved books too much is not the most likable guy. In fact, he can be very annoying and infuriating at times. But, Allison Hoover Bartlett sure knows how to tell a good story. She makes this story so fun to read, even when the title character is being infuriating. There is, actually, a whole host of characters in this true account of a man who desired rare and valuable books, but could not, and would never be able to, afford them. Being somewhat psychotic, however, he believed that because he desired them so greatly, he deserved them. So he resorted to credit card fraud in order to obtain them. And somehow, in his head, he could not admit that this was stealing. Even though he was repeatedly incarcerated for fraud, he continued to perpetrate it without remorse. In fact, he somehow believed that he was the victim of greedy rare book dealers who simply priced books too high for him to afford. The dealers, many of whom helped the author with her story by granting many interviews over many months, were the true victims of this story. But they were also the heroes, as they banded together to aid in the apprehension of the con man who manipulated them with his charm and deceit. This book is a fascinating look into the world of rare books, their dealers, and the mind of a man who needed to acquire them by any means. It is a quick read, an interesting story, and alot of fun.
I give this book 4.5 out of 5 bookmarks.
Reviewed by: Anna
