Tuesday, July 22, 2014

The Map Thief : The Gripping Story Of An Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps
by Michael Blanding

I'm amazed that I read this book from the beginning to the end, because I almost stopped reading it midway through. The style of writing was boring and bland (how appropriate that the latter word is part of the author's last name). I disagree with the subtitle, because it's certainly not gripping or riveting as reviewers from several websites have stated.
The book really needs a proofreader. I started writing down all of the errors that I saw beginning with Chapter 8. There were missing and misspelled words, words out of place, etc. (I e-mailed the author to let him know and he was quite grateful.)
Although there's quite a bit of interesting information concerning the history of antique maps, it can be deadening to the casual reader. If you're a map collector, then this book is definitely something that you should read. For the rest of us, it's ho-hum.