The Feather Thief

This book is fascinating! It tells the story of the heist of priceless specimens from the British Natural History Museum by a young man obsessed with collecting beautiful – and rare – feathers. The Feather Thief is as much about the history of science as it is a heist book, and wholeheartedly recommend to anyone interested in either topic!

Megan, Library Assistant
Book cover of The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson. Has many beautiful feathers on the cover.
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson

Synopsis

“Alfred Russel Wallace stood on the quarterdeck of a burning ship, seven hundred miles off the coast of Bermuda, the planks heating beneath his fee, yellow smoke curling up through the cracks.” – first line

Documents the astonishing 2009 theft of an invaluable collection of ornithological displays from the British Museum of Natural History by a talented American musician, tracing the author’s years-long investigation to track down the culprit and understand his motives, which were possibly linked to an obsession with the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying.

About the Author

Kirk Wallace Johnson is the author of non-fiction and his writing has been in The New Yorker, New York Times, and more. His third book, The Fishermen and the Dragon: Two Dreams at War off the Texas Coast will be published in 2021. He is also the founder of the List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies.

Read-a-Likes

Book cover of The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession by Susan Orlean. Has a bright orange flower with a blue background.
The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession by Susan Orlean
Book cover of The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett. Has a shadow of a m an in front of a bookcase.
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett
Book cover of The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Science, and the Global Quest for Fossils by Paige Williams. Has a mirrored image of a set of dinosaur bones with an orange background.
The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth’s Ultimate Trophy by Paige Williams

Appeal Terms

How do you describe the books you love to read? Appeal terms help us describe what it is about a book that would make us recommend it to others. These come from the NoveList database, which librarians love! You, too, can use and explore this database free with your library card.

Genre

Life stories; Nature Writing; True Crime

Tone

Dramatic

Writing Style

Accessible; Compelling; Well-researched

Awards and More

Oprah’s list of 25 Best True Crime Books That’ll Make You Want to Sleep With the Lights On

American Library Association’s Notable Nonfiction Books of 2019

2019 Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger Award Nominee

This American Life Episode #654, aired August 10, 2018

This blog post was created by librarians from Park City Library with help of information found in NoveList – a database which is free with your library card. NoveList is a comprehensive reading recommendation resource.