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Oct
12
Allison Hoover Bartlett Guest Blogs: On Reading Criminals
2009 at 3pm Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Last month, I read a fantastic true story about a rare book thief and the bookseller who made it his life’s work to catch him. Allison Hoover Bartlett’s The Man Who Loved Books Too Much was so great that I just had to share it, so I ran a review and giveaway during BBAW. Allison is here today to share this guest post about reading criminals. Please give her a warm Book Lady’s Blog welcome!
No one knows what to expect at the start of a book tour. Before I began mine, I had heard enough horror stories to make me a little apprehensive, like the time my friend had a total of two people show up for her reading, one homeless, drunk and delighted to have found someone to talk to (my friend), and the other in desperate need of some shuteye, which he got. But instead of worrying how to handle drunks and nappers, I focused on practical issues. Which passages would people most enjoy listening to? How could I keep them engaged enough that they could resist texting and tweeting (other frequent pastimes of less-than-ideal attendees)? And what kind of people might show up? While researching my book, I had spent a lot of time roaming the aisles of antiquarian book fairs, so I knew who populated the book collecting world (mostly older, white males), but who were my readers going to be?
I can tell you one type of reader I wasn’t expecting: book thieves. Yes, I’d written in depth about one and had detailed the stealthy crimes of many others from the last few centuries, but I hadn’t considered that I’d written for them, until one showed up.
There were about a dozen people in the audience on this cool, fall evening. As I read from my book and told them how I had discovered the story, I looked into faces that seemed, to my immense relief, entranced, curious, even surprised. Except for one: a tall, thin man in the corner who scowled at me during my entire presentation. Although his countenance was disconcerting, I noticed that when I described a few book collectors I’d met, he nodded, so I asked if he was a collector. He nodded again.
After I signed everyone’s books—everyone’s, that is, except the scowler’s (he had left the store immediately after the reading, without buying the book)—I mentioned him to one of the bookstore’s owners.
“That one guy, wasn’t he kind of creepy?” I said.
“Oh yeah,” said the owner. “He had book thief written all over him.” Then she called over to the other owner, who stood behind the counter, “Hey, out of everyone here tonight, who do you suppose was the book thief?”
He answered without hesitation: “The tall thin guy in the corner.”
These two had been in business for ages, so I figured they knew a book thief when they saw one.
The next evening, I drove about an hour away to another bookstore for another reading. There were the usual enthusiastic book lovers, but there was also someone shady looking, sitting alone in the back row. He had arrived a bit late, wearing a khaki canvas hat, still tied under his chin, with a wide brim. It was wide enough, in fact, that he could tip it down and hide his face. Occasionally, though, he lifted it to peek at me, and when he did, I could see that he was smirking. He looked right at me with the smug, satisfied expression of someone holding onto a secret.
Right after I began signing books, he slipped out without buying mine, just like the tall thin man had done the night before. I didn’t ask the bookseller what she thought of him, but his smirk and hasty exit made me think my reading had again attracted a book thief.
On my drive home, I wondered if I was becoming paranoid, but having spent years working on a book about criminals who pass as book collectors, who adroitly con even the most cautious and experienced of rare book sellers, I had become more suspicious. Since that night, I’ve done a few more readings, and no crooked looking characters have shown up. But that won’t stop me from reading future audiences, looking for clues.
Visit Allison’s website and follow her on Twitter to learn more about The Man Who Loved Books Too Much.
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I REALLY want to read this book. I’ve heard all about it. And I loved her story. Who wouldn’t known she would attract the element? That would give me the creeps!
I read and reviewed this and I really enjoyed the book. Great post! I find your experiences at the two signings creepy but yet oddly interesting.
Creepy!
I just bought the Kindle version of this book with my birthday money and I can’t wait to start reading it. I downloaded the sample first and I was hooked. Thanks for highlighting this on your novel. I have a feeling it’s going to be a treasure.
So why do you think it happened? They knew the book was about a book thief, so they wanted to come and secret flaunt their book thief selves?
Good question. I suppose wine lovers show up for wine book readings, history buffs for history readings…so I suppose it’s natural for book thieves to show up for this.
I can’t really add anything because I haven’t read the book yet, but I did request it from the library! Yay!
I’m one of the owners of one of the stores mentioned and just a few days after the signing some one emailed and asked if we had signed first editions of her book. I said we did, but we never heard back. I was really unsure about what to do if he had asked us to send one, taking a credit card number over the phone? Uh, maybe not this time…
A fantastic book and an exciting signing!
Wow that’s crazy. I totally believe they were thieves!
Thanks for stopping by! I figured the book would make thieves more cautious since booksellers now know what to look out for….wonder if that email was legit?
Thanks so much for this post.. Can’t wait to get my hands on this book.
[...] spare room that is soon to be my home office. This week, I brought you guest posts from authors Allison Hoover Bartlett and Thomas Trofimuk, a book review of The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery, and, in two installments, [...]
Wow, that’s crazy! I wouldn’t have expected book thieves to actually show up!
I got this book for Xmas from one who knows I am a bibliophile. I read it the day after. I truly enjoyed it, and many of my book friends wrote blurbs on the back. This book turned me into a book detective, and I found something in my book (very odd) that I want to follow up on. Why did my book have a strange, white sticker in it on page 96, with a hidden message in it? Please respond to me by e-mail. Thank you, Curious
I have no idea what that could be. Sometimes bookstores use white stickers w/ in-laid barcoding or sensors to prevent theft, and they just slide them into the books. It could be that…but what was the message?