The Feather Thief

by Kirk Wallace Johnson
Category: "Crime and Disaster (non-fiction)"
Pages:248
Year of Publication:2018
Date Added:12/06/2018
Date Read:08/19/2020
Notes:Subtitle: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century

Edwin Rist was an entitled American student in England who stole hundreds of skins of rare birds so he could sell them to other entitled jerks who used the feathers to tie fishing flies according to Victorian "recipes." The flies aren't used for fishing—just to give the tiers a kick from owning something rare. Edwin got off without punishment when a quack-psychiatrist diagnosed him with Asperger's. Many of the skins were never recovered, and many that were were damaged.
My Rating: 5

Reviews for The Feather Thief

Review - Feather Thief, The

The makings of a mildly-interesting magazine article blown up to book length. Rist and his theft are told in a few chapters. The back half of the book is about the author's quest to find the missing skins. He never got close.

Reviewed by Roger on 2020-08-19 14:25:28

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