The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century

by Kirk Wallace Johnson and Kirk Wallace Johnson

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1101981636
• ISBN13: 9781101981634
• Release Date: April 2019
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A surprising read, who would have thought that feathers could have caused a tulip like commotion to

This was a fun read, a dreadfully sad read in parts, an odd manifestation of human greed and dominance over creatures that have beauty and elegance. The main character was complex and talented in lots of different ways. Worth the reading time.

A Page-Turning NonFiction Book That More People Should Read

The pacing of the story was great and made a story about something that would ordinarily be very boring for me (the art of Victorian fly tying) and made it absolutely riveting. The history behind it all really set the narrative up well and it left me ranting to my friends and family about it for days.

Great story - couldn't put it down!

A virtuoso flutist steals historical bird pelts from a branch of the British Museum. Some years later, an avid salmon fisherman in the U.S. hears about the theft. Thus begins his determined obsession to get to the bottom of the crime. Interwoven in the crime story is the 100+ -year history of how western culture coveted rare feathers and how those rare feathers are used in an inner circle of men who tie historically accurate salmon fishing flies. I am not a fishing enthusiast of any sort, but the story is fascinating and I couldn't put it down.