The map thief the gripping story of an esteemed rare-map dealer who made millions stealing priceless maps

"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 tra...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Blanding, Michael
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: New York, NY : Gotham Books, [2014]
Subjects:
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001 ocn861479004
003 OCoLC
005 20140528121200.0
008 140418s2014 nyuab b 001 0 eng
010 |a  2014005305 
020 |a 9781592408177 (hardback) 
020 |a 1592408176 (hardback) 
035 |a (OCoLC)861479004 
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050 0 0 |a Z286.M3  |b B53 2014 
082 0 0 |a 364.16/289120973  |2 23 
084 |a BIO024000  |a BIO000000  |2 bisacsh 
100 1 |a Blanding, Michael. 
245 1 4 |a The map thief :  |b the gripping story of an esteemed rare-map dealer who made millions stealing priceless maps /  |c Michael Blanding. 
264 1 |a New York, NY :  |b Gotham Books,  |c [2014] 
300 |a xvi, 300 pages, 8 pages of plates :  |b illustrations, maps ;  |c 24 cm 
336 |a text  |2 rdacontent 
337 |a unmediated  |2 rdamedia 
338 |a volume  |2 rdacarrier 
520 |a "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 more-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. "--Provided by publisher. 
504 |a Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-255) and index. 
600 1 0 |a Smiley, E. Forbes. 
650 0 |a Map dealers  |z United States. 
650 0 |a Map industry and trade  |z United States. 
650 0 |a Map thefts  |z United States. 
650 0 |a Book thefts  |z United States. 
938 |a YBP Library Services  |b YANK  |n 11261124 
938 |a Baker and Taylor  |b BTCP  |n BK0013949333 
938 |a Brodart  |b BROD  |n 108231259 
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949 |a schlow  |b SANON  |c 364.1628 BLA  |d i  |e 39635103258656  |f 548316  |g ddc  |j 05/06/2014 
999 |a 359694