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batwoman411's review against another edition
3.0
Maps, maps, maps. I read this book because it reminded me of The Poet, The Madman, and the Murderer to a degree. But it wasn’t as interesting. It bogged down in mapphilia and extended historical descriptions of some of the maps that Smiley stole. I am not a mapphile, so it was arduous to read through these parts.
It was more astounding to me though that pretty much anyone off the street could access books of rare and valuable maps unsupervised in a library and leave with a $100,000 map in their pocket. And that the libraries that housed these maps had such poor inventory systems for the maps that they didn’t even know when they were missing. Furthermore, when the libraries learned they were missing, they did not want to call attention to their losses.
If maps are your thing, this book should make a fascinating read.
It was more astounding to me though that pretty much anyone off the street could access books of rare and valuable maps unsupervised in a library and leave with a $100,000 map in their pocket. And that the libraries that housed these maps had such poor inventory systems for the maps that they didn’t even know when they were missing. Furthermore, when the libraries learned they were missing, they did not want to call attention to their losses.
If maps are your thing, this book should make a fascinating read.
jakennedy's review against another edition
4.0
Maps, to me, are simply a navigation tool to get a person from point a to point b. The idea that you would collect, steal or even write a book about maps is completely foreign to me. All that to say, if you are going to get me to read a book about maps, it better be a really good book.
The Map Thief is the true story of E. Forbes Smiley III, a map dealer turned map thief. Smiley's story is interspersed with a history of maps, his New England upbringing, rise in the ranks of his profession and ultimately his turn to a life of theft. His drive to be successful in his professional is about as relatable as it gets. And yet, when contrasted with his extravagant life style and self-centered thinking, you aren't surprised that Smiley's life spun out of control.
The Map Thief was well researched, well written and makes an emotional connection with readers. At times you sympathize deeply with Smiley and other times you want to slap him silly.
Reviewers comment: the above review is deliberately vague so it is "spoiler free." I received an advance copy of The Map Thief from Penguin Publishing; the above review reflects my own opinion of the story.
categal's review against another edition
2.0
I give Michael Blanding a 3-1/2 to 4 stars on this one, and E. Forbes Smiley, the map thief himself, a -100 stars, so using advance mathematics, that works out to 2 stars for this one. Blanding states at the beginning of the book that he grew up with a love and wonder of maps, and his writing proves it. I was captivated by the history, marveled at how unknown the unknown world really was, and how political cartography was at various points in time.
The story of E. Forbes Smiley has none of that wonder or charm. It's a People-magazine-fallen-hero type of tale - a rich guy who bilked friends, clients, librarians (!), weirdly tried to control the denizens of a small Maine town, was caught, served a scant amount of time for damaging, destroying, and losing historical treasures, and then retreated back to Martha's Vineyard. Huh? Are libraries at fault for not fingerprinting every visitor? Are collectors at fault for not caring about the provenance of maps they buy? Further at fault for not wanting stolen maps to be returned to rightful owners? Dealers at fault for routinely taking maps out of bound volumes to get a higher price?
Blarg, I don't know, and it's really an exercise in contemplating the greedy, seedy underside of something really remarkable. The maps in this book were actually hard to read, and I found that I just skipped past the references to them at a certain point because I couldn't see many of the details that Blanding was describing. I'd recommend visiting them in your local library, but call ahead - they might not be there anymore.
The story of E. Forbes Smiley has none of that wonder or charm. It's a People-magazine-fallen-hero type of tale - a rich guy who bilked friends, clients, librarians (!), weirdly tried to control the denizens of a small Maine town, was caught, served a scant amount of time for damaging, destroying, and losing historical treasures, and then retreated back to Martha's Vineyard. Huh? Are libraries at fault for not fingerprinting every visitor? Are collectors at fault for not caring about the provenance of maps they buy? Further at fault for not wanting stolen maps to be returned to rightful owners? Dealers at fault for routinely taking maps out of bound volumes to get a higher price?
Blarg, I don't know, and it's really an exercise in contemplating the greedy, seedy underside of something really remarkable. The maps in this book were actually hard to read, and I found that I just skipped past the references to them at a certain point because I couldn't see many of the details that Blanding was describing. I'd recommend visiting them in your local library, but call ahead - they might not be there anymore.
emrache's review against another edition
3.0
An intriguing story that was quite readable. I only wish that the reprinted maps were more readily visible in the ebook.
amberdebo's review against another edition
5.0
THIS is what Island of Lost Maps should have been. Bravo.
rlk7m's review against another edition
4.0
In a similar vein as The Billionaire's Vinegar, The Map Thief leads you down a high-society crime spree that seems pretty unbelievable. My only complaint is that I wish I would've read a physical copy instead of an ebook. There are photographs of the maps and I would've loved looking periodically at them as I read.
bethberry18's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of information to keep track of but interesting. I liked the history of cartography parts.