The Feather Thief Kirk Wallace Johnson

Name: The Feather Thief By Kirk Wallace Johnson
SKU: 9780099510666
Price: 23.49 AUD
Availability: InStock

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

Reviews:

$23.49

Condition - Very Good

6 in stock

Very Good$23.49 New$28.89

Summary

vivid and arresting' The Times

One summer evening in 2009, twenty-year-old musical prodigy Edwin Rist broke into the Natural History Museum at Tring, home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world. Once inside, Rist grabbed as many rare bird specimens as he was able to carry before escaping into the darkness.

The Feather Thief Summary

The Feather Thief: The Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson

SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOLD DAGGER AWARD

'A tale of obsession ... vivid and arresting' The Times

One summer evening in 2009, twenty-year-old musical prodigy Edwin Rist broke into the Natural History Museum at Tring, home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world. Once inside, Rist grabbed as many rare bird specimens as he was able to carry before escaping into the darkness.

Kirk Wallace Johnson was waist-deep in a river in New Mexico when his fly-fishing guide first told him about the heist. But what would possess a person to steal dead birds? And had Rist paid for his crime? In search of answers, Johnson embarked upon a worldwide investigation, leading him into the fiercely secretive underground community obsessed with the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying.

Was Edwin Rist a genius or narcissist? Mastermind or pawn?

The Feather Thief Reviews

The Feather Thief truly is a tale of obsession . . . A wonderfully assured writer, [Johnson] takes us on a curious journey into the past . . . Vivid and arresting. * The Times *
A fascinating investigation of a seriously ridiculous crime * New Scientist *
Within pages I was hooked. This is a weird and wonderful book . . . Johnson is a master of pacing and suspense . . . it's a tribute to Johnson's storytelling gifts that when I turned the last page I felt bereft. * Spectator *
The Feather Thief is a riveting read. It also stands, I believe, as a reminder of how an obsession with the ornaments of nature - be they feathers, bird eggs or ivory - can wreak havoc on our scientific heritage * Nature *
Weird and wonderful * The Tablet *

About Kirk Wallace Johnson

Kirk Wallace Johnson served in Iraq with the US Agency for International Development in Baghdad and Fallujah as the Agency's first co-ordinator for reconstruction in the war-torn city. He went on to found The List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies. His work on behalf of Iraqi refugees was profiled by This American Life, 60 Minutes, the Today Show, the subject of a feature-length documentary, The List, and a memoir, To Be a Friend is Fatal.

A Senior Fellow at the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, and the recipient of fellowships from the American Academy in Berlin, Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, and the Wurlitzer Foundation, his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Times and the Washington Post. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, son and daughter.

Additional information

Sku

GOR009788436

ISBN 13

9780099510666

ISBN 10

0099510669

Title

The Feather Thief: The Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson

Author

Kirk Wallace Johnson

Condition

Used - Very Good

Binding type

Paperback

Publisher

Cornerstone

Year published

2019-04-04

Number of pages

320

Prizes

N/A

Cover note

Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.

Note

This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us