The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett

The sub title tells it all - "The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession.  John Gilkey loved owning books even more than reading them.  With no way to afford the books he so passionately wanted, he stole them using credit card numbers he had stolen from other people.  Ken Sanders is a rare book dealer who became the security chief of the Antiquarian Bookseller's Association of America.  He was determined to catch Gilkey and followed him even long after his term of office was over.  Both men knew way more about books than did Bartlett when she started this project.  Learning about the world of valuable books from all of them as well as the dealers in book stores and book fairs across the country is a bibiophile's vicarious dream.   Even short stints in prison doesn't keep Gilkey from believing that his love of books somehow entitles him to own them any way necessary.  Is he crazy?  As I look at the stacks of book sitting on my floor because the shelves that line the walls are already full, I have to wonder where the line between a love of reading and a book obsession lies. There is a touch of Erik Larson to the telling but none of the gore. Now I can't wait to start A Gentle Madness by Basbanes.