The feather thief: beauty, obsession, and the natural history heist of the century
Description
As heard on NPR's This American Life
“Absorbing . . . Though it's non-fiction, The Feather Thief contains many of the elements of a classic thriller.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air
“One of the most peculiar and memorable true-crime books ever.” —Christian Science Monitor
A rollicking true-crime adventure and a captivating journey into an underground world of fanatical fly-tiers and plume peddlers, for readers of The Stranger in the Woods, The Lost City of Z, and The Orchid Thief.
On a cool June evening in 2009, after performing a concert at London's Royal Academy of Music, twenty-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist boarded a train for a suburban outpost of the British Museum of Natural History. Home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world, the Tring museum was full of rare bird specimens whose gorgeous feathers were worth staggering amounts of money to the men who shared Edwin's obsession: the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. Once inside the museum, the champion fly-tier grabbed hundreds of bird skins—some collected 150 years earlier by a contemporary of Darwin's, Alfred Russel Wallace, who'd risked everything to gather them—and escaped into the darkness.
Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was waist high in a river in northern New Mexico when his fly-fishing guide told him about the heist. He was soon consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? Had Edwin paid the price for his crime? What became of the missing skins? In his search for answers, Johnson was catapulted into a years-long, worldwide investigation. The gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice, The Feather Thief is also a fascinating exploration of obsession, and man's destructive instinct to harvest the beauty of nature.
“Absorbing . . . Though it's non-fiction, The Feather Thief contains many of the elements of a classic thriller.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air
“One of the most peculiar and memorable true-crime books ever.” —Christian Science Monitor
A rollicking true-crime adventure and a captivating journey into an underground world of fanatical fly-tiers and plume peddlers, for readers of The Stranger in the Woods, The Lost City of Z, and The Orchid Thief.
On a cool June evening in 2009, after performing a concert at London's Royal Academy of Music, twenty-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist boarded a train for a suburban outpost of the British Museum of Natural History. Home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world, the Tring museum was full of rare bird specimens whose gorgeous feathers were worth staggering amounts of money to the men who shared Edwin's obsession: the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. Once inside the museum, the champion fly-tier grabbed hundreds of bird skins—some collected 150 years earlier by a contemporary of Darwin's, Alfred Russel Wallace, who'd risked everything to gather them—and escaped into the darkness.
Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was waist high in a river in northern New Mexico when his fly-fishing guide told him about the heist. He was soon consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? Had Edwin paid the price for his crime? What became of the missing skins? In his search for answers, Johnson was catapulted into a years-long, worldwide investigation. The gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice, The Feather Thief is also a fascinating exploration of obsession, and man's destructive instinct to harvest the beauty of nature.
More Details
ISBN:
9780525559092
9781101981634
9781101981610
9781101981634
9781101981610
Staff View
Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 396fee1f-c3a5-24bc-0b49-a6209928e2a5 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | feather thief beauty obsession and the natural history heist of the century |
Grouping Author | kirk w johnson |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-04-06 14:03:56PM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-18 05:28:12AM |
Solr Fields
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accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Johnson, Kirk W.
author_display
Johnson, Kirk W.
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Boulder Junction Library
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Ashland Adult Nonfiction
Bayfield Nonfiction
Boulder Junction Adult Nonfiction
Cable Adult Nonfiction
Eagle River Adult Nonfiction
Hurley Adult Nonfiction
Land O Lakes Adult Nonfiction
Presque Isle Adult Nonfiction
Sayner Adult Nonfiction
Washburn Adult Nonfiction
Bayfield Nonfiction
Boulder Junction Adult Nonfiction
Cable Adult Nonfiction
Eagle River Adult Nonfiction
Hurley Adult Nonfiction
Land O Lakes Adult Nonfiction
Presque Isle Adult Nonfiction
Sayner Adult Nonfiction
Washburn Adult Nonfiction
display_description
On a cool June evening in 2009, twenty-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist grabbed hundreds of bird skins - some collected 150 years earlier - and escaped into the darkness. Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? This is the gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice.
format_boulderjunction
Book
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Books
id
396fee1f-c3a5-24bc-0b49-a6209928e2a5
isbn
9780525559092
9781101981610
9781101981634
9781101981610
9781101981634
itype_boulderjunction
BOOK - HARDCOVER
BOOK - PAPERBACK
BOOK - PAPERBACK
last_indexed
2024-04-18T10:28:12.392Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_callnumber_boulderjunction
364.16 JOH pbk.
owning_library_boulderjunction
Boulder Junction Library
owning_location_boulderjunction
Boulder Junction Library
primary_isbn
9780525559092
publishDate
2018
publisher
Viking
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Case studies
Fly tying -- Great Britain -- Case studies
Natural History Museum (London, England)
Theft from museums -- Great Britain -- Case studies
Zoological specimens -- Great Britain -- Case studies
Fly tying -- Great Britain -- Case studies
Natural History Museum (London, England)
Theft from museums -- Great Britain -- Case studies
Zoological specimens -- Great Britain -- Case studies
title_display
The feather thief : beauty, obsession, and the natural history heist of the century
title_full
The feather thief : beauty, obsession, and the natural history heist of the century / Kirk Wallace Johnson
title_short
The feather thief
title_sub
beauty, obsession, and the natural history heist of the century
topic_facet
Fly tying
Theft from museums
Zoological specimens
Theft from museums
Zoological specimens
Solr Details Tables
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ils:.b20131215 | .i32378117 | Presque Isle Adult Nonfiction | 364.16 Joh | 1 | false | false | Available | Aug 24, 2023 | pianf | ||||
ils:.b20131215 | .i32306143 | Bayfield Nonfiction | 364.16 JOH | 1 | false | false | Available | Jul 15, 2020 | baaun | ||||
ils:.b20131215 | .i32377666 | Eagle River Adult Nonfiction | 364.16 JOH | 1 | false | false | Available | Aug 18, 2023 | eranf | ||||
ils:.b20131215 | .i32296691 | Cable Adult Nonfiction | 364.16 JOH | 1 | false | false | Available | Dec 18, 2023 | caanf | ||||
ils:.b20131215 | .i32569002 | Hurley Adult Nonfiction | 364 Joh | 1 | false | false | Available | Aug 04, 2023 | huanf | ||||
ils:.b20131215 | .i32313718 | Ashland Adult Nonfiction | 364.16 JOH | 1 | false | false | Available | Dec 01, 2022 | asanf | ||||
ils:.b20131215 | .i33718416 | Land O Lakes Adult Nonfiction | 364.16 JOH (pbk) | 1 | false | false | Available | Aug 11, 2023 | loanf | ||||
ils:.b20131215 | .i32386916 | Sayner Adult Nonfiction | 364.16 J | 1 | false | false | Available | Jul 13, 2018 | saanf | ||||
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record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b20131215 | Book | Books | English | Viking | c2018 | 308 pages ; 24 cm |
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ils:.b20131215 | .i32377666 | On Shelf | Available | false | true | true | false | false | false | 9999 | ||
ils:.b20131215 | .i32296691 | On Shelf | Available | false | true | true | false | false | false | 9999 | ||
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