The Map Thief

The story of an infamous crime, a revered map dealer with an unsavory secret, and the ruthless subculture that consumed him Maps have long exerted a special fascination on viewers both as beautiful works of art and as practical tools to navigate the world But to those who collect them, the map trade can be a cutthroat business, inhabited by quirky and sometimes disreputable characters in search of a finite number of extremely rare objects Once considered a respectable antiquarian map dealer, E Forbes Smiley spent years doubling as a map thief until he was finally arrested slipping maps out of books in the Yale University library The Map Thief delves into the untold history of this fascinating high stakes criminal and the inside story of the industry that consumed him Acclaimed reporter Michael Blanding has interviewed all the key players in this stranger than fiction story, and shares the fascinating histories of maps that charted the New World, and how they went from being practical instruments to quirky heirlooms to highly coveted objects Though pieces of the map theft story have been written before, Blanding is the first reporter to explore the story in full and had the rare privilege of having access to Smiley himself after he d gone silent in the wake of his crimes Moreover, although Smiley swears he has admitted to all of the maps he stole, libraries claim he stole hundreds and offer intriguing clues to prove it Now, through a series of exclusive interviews with Smiley and other key individuals, Blanding teases out an astonishing tale of destruction and redemption The Map Thief interweaves Smiley s escapades with the stories of the explorers and mapmakers he knew better than anyone Tracking a series of thefts as brazen as the art heists in Provenance and a subculture as obsessive as the oenophiles in The Billionaire s Vinegar, Blanding has pieced together an unforgettable story of high stakes crime. Free Read [ The Map Thief ] by [ Michael Blanding ] – kino-fada.fr I do not read much nonfiction because I like a story that really pulls me along, one full of strange characters and intriguing plot twists But that s exactly why I enjoyed THE MAP THIEF so much The story of Forbes Smiley, who went from prestigious dealer of rare maps to thief and convict, is a classic example of truth being stranger than fiction.You don t need to be a map aficionado, Blanding guides you through the world of rare maps which is often reminiscent of fine art, with collectors a...I believe that nonfiction is rated somewhat different than fiction This book earns five stars for a few reasons The author has researched extensively, there is no question about facts, which I really appreciate in a nonfiction book Blanding also explains how historical maps were made and by whom, promoting an understanding on what would make a map valuable Library and museum collections and how they are viewed and stored are also explained The book is about Smiley s map theft and Blanding t I believe that nonfiction is rated somewhat different than fiction This book earns five stars for a few reasons The author has researched extensively, there is no question about facts, which I really appreciate in a nonfiction book Blanding also explains how historical maps were made and by whom, promoting an understanding on what would make a map valuable Library and museum collections and how they are viewed and stored are also explained The book is about Smiley s map theft and Blanding tells of his lifestyle Somehow he is able to consolidate all of ...A well written blend of history and crime that will strike terror into the hearts of most rare book librarians, including me.The Map Thief has so many compelling things to offer the history of cartography, insight into the world of rare and antique map dealing, and a true crime story My favorite aspect was the detailed chronicle of how early navigators discovered new coastlines and continents, developing mapmaking to aide in exploration During the time of cartographical renaissance, America was a blank space on a map that would eventually be filled in as travelers ventured further inland Assophisticated tech The Map Thief has so many compelling things to offer the history of cartography, insight into the world of rare and antique map dealing, and a true crime story My favorite aspect was the detailed chronicle of how early navigators discovered new coastlines and continents, developing mapmaking to aide in exploration During the time of cartographical renaissance, America was a blank space on a map that would eventually be filled in as travelers ventured further inland Assophisticated techniques were developed, the maps created weredetailed and varied.Then there is the contemporary trade of these maps, and at the ...As a librarian at an institution with a collection of maps that is almost completely uncataloged, this book kind of scared the bejeezus out of me Butimportantly for the reader, Blanding does a good job of weaving the story of Forbes Smiley the titular map thief together with the history of cartography and map collecting a niche community with less than a hundred serious dealers in the entire world Smiley is an interesting, infuriating, and ...Excellent research and fluent style make this non fiction book the perfect doorway into the world of cartography and the love of maps I ve always loved maps, but now I feel that I know a lotabout them and how they are appraised This is also a thriller like story of a master thief who has managed to steal many cultural treasures before he was finally caught not a spoiler it s in the first pages of the book Blanding does a good job I think of trying to understand the mind of the man Excellent research and fluent style make this non fiction book the perfect doorway into the world of cartography and the love of maps I ve always loved maps, but now I feel that I know a lotabout them and how they are appraised This is also a thriller like story of a master thief who has managed to steal many cultural treasures before he was finally caught not a spoiler it s in the first pages of the book Blanding does a good job I think of trying to understand the mind of the man behind the thefts, and ho...I won this book in a goodreads firstreads drawing.This is really a two part book Part of it deals with maps, map making, and the history of cartography and map stealing The other part is a biography of a famous map thief, E Forbes Smiley III.The part that dealt with the history of cartography, and the influence of maps and mapma...I could not manage to stay interested in this I gave up early in Ch 6 I think I expected the book to focuson the thefts and how he was caught As of Ch 6, we had just gotten to 1989, when his gallery was supposedly cleaned out by thieves, though the building superintendent, still around when the author was researching, knew nothing about any such theft In skimming forward,...This is the story of E Forbes Smiley III, a cartography enthusiast and map dealer who turns into a thief As one reads the story, one is struck by defenselessness of the library system against such felony There are several character analysis points explaining his transformation and we watch as this character reaches a grandiose, almost delirium like state through a bad career with a terrible spending habit We see destruction of many priceless irreplaceable books We also get a notion about ho This is the story of E Forbes Smiley III, a cartography enthusiast and map dealer who turns into a thief As one reads the story, one is struck by defenselessness of the library system against such felony There are several character analysis points explaining his transformation and we watch as this character ...I read this book in 36 hours which is not something I ever thought I d say about a book that deals with the antiquarian map trade But Blanding has written this such that I couldn t put it down the end of his chapters, in particular, propelled me...

• English
• 20 November 2018
Michael Blanding
• Hardcover
• 222 pages
• 1592408176
• Michael Blanding
• The Map Thief