Review The Map Thief: The Gripping Story Of An Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps Written By Michael Blanding Accessible As EPub

read this book inhours 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 right forward to the next, A book that's fun to read and also teaches you something I haven't thought of maps the same way since, Brilliant. I could not manage to stay interested in this, I gave up early in Ch, I think I expected the book to focus more on the thefts and how he was caught, As of Ch, we had just gotten to, 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, I saw a lot about some community that the thief built, spending fortunes he may not have had,

There were some interesting bits, for instance: the development and publication of detailed maps of the American colonies was instrumental in the French and Indian Wars and the Revolutionary War.
The best history books are more than history in the best, you also learn something new and, often, there is mystery and intrigue, The Map Thief by Michael Blanding has all of that, A fastpaced book read the first chapter and see, The Map Thief tells the story of E, Forbes Smiley, a rare map dealer who turns crooked, secretly stealing centuriesold maps from some of the most famous libraries in America and then selling them for profit.
Unlike classic paintings and other rare art, often there are half a dozen or more copies of rare maps in existence which fuels an expensive but active community of dealers and collectors.
This wellwritten, compelling story provides a fascinating new look into the history of maps and mapmaking, the world of rare map collectors and dealers, and the crimesolving techniques used by the police and FBI to track down Smiley's thefts there really are such things as “bookworms” and they prove more important than youd ever guess.

In his introduction to the book The Map Thief author Michael Blanding writes, "Maps have long exerted a special fascination on viewersboth as beautiful works of art and as practical tools to navigate the world.
" What he forgets to mention is that they can also be snapshots in history, For me, they are all of the above, so a book centered around historical maps seemed a natural, Add to that

my fascination with true crime accounts, and it is no wonder that I jumped at the chance to read and review this book,

The Map Thief is Blandings account of the E, Forbes Smiley case, Smiley was a respected dealer in antiquarian maps who ended up in over his head and began stealing rare and famous maps from Universities and selling them on the market as new finds until he was caught redhanded cutting a map from a book in the Yale University antique map room.
I found the idea that a trusted, well respected member of the exclusive trade in antiquarian maps could take so much advantage of the other players in the industry fascinating.
After all, for years E, Forbes Smiley was able to pull the wool over the eyes of topnotch dealers in antique maps and savvy collectors, not to mention the major Universities and Museums that he was able to steal from.
I really enjoyed reading about Smiley and his crimes,

For me, though, the best part of the book was the amount of time that Blanding spent explaining the maps that were stolen and their significance.
As you might expect from an investigative journalist of his caliber, the discussion of each map was well researched and well written, His ability to highlight the importance of these maps as both historical documents and works of art really drew me in, I learned so much about maps, their uses, the history of map making, and the historical figures behind the maps, I would have loved for this part of the book to never end, Blanding did such a great job with this part of the book that I found myself researching antique maps and the history of map making on my own.


The only place were the book fell short for me was at the end, Throughout the book, there was a lot of discussion of the fact that hundreds more maps were missing that Smiley ever admitted to stealing, I felt it was presented in such a way that a revelation would be forthcoming, but perhaps it was just my reader's wish that there would be a big reveal.
At any rate, not only was there no real new information about these missing maps, I felt that Blanding really glassed over this portion of the story.
It was almost like he just threw the information into the book at the end and as a result, I thought it detracted from the rest of the book, which was really great.
In addition, I found the information that was presented confusing, For me, it would have been better if Blanding had mentioned that many more maps were missing, and the theories by all parties about what might have happened to them, in a short concluding chapter.


All in all, though, this book was really worth the read, The information regarding maps, map making, and map collecting was enough to keep me interested to the very end, Throw in E. Forbes Smiley, his personality, and what he was able to accomplish, and you have a very engaging read, I would highly recommend it to any one with a love of history and a love of true crime stories, Bravo Mr. Blanding!

A heartfelt thanks to both Gotham Publishing and Edelweiss for making this title available to me in exchange for my review, Dont worry they found the maps again, 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 and dealers scheming to get the best pieces.
I admit, I was usually anxious to get back to the action of the presentday during some of the sections on the history of maps and mapmaking, but the book moves you quickly along and does a good job of keeping you informed as you go.


Smiley is indeed a character unlike any other, From the beginning he's an unusual and eclectic type, And the last third of the book where the issue of theft of rare maps is covered in detail was particularly fascinating to me,

If you like the kind of nonfiction that moves quickly and teaches you about something you never knew, this is a great pick,

Full disclosure: the author is a friend of mine, But if I didn't like his book I would absolutely say so, .