The map thief
Subtitle: the gripping story of an esteemed rare-map dealer who made millions stealing priceless maps
By: Michael Blanding
Edition: Large print edition.
Series: Thorndike Press large print crime scene; Thorndike Press large print crime scene
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 603
ISBN-13: 9781410471147
Subjects: Book thefts; Large type books; Map thefts; Map dealers; Map industry and trade
Description: Maps have long elicited a special fascination -- both as practical tools and as beautiful works of art. But to collectors the map trade can be cutthroat, with quirky and sometimes disreputable characters in search of a finite number of extremely rare objects. This is the story of antiquarian map dealer E. Forbes Smiley, who for years doubled as a map thief until he was finally arrested for slipping maps out of books in the Yale University library.
Notes: Originally published: New York, NY : Gotham Books, [2014].

Includes bibliographical references (pages 493-504).
Table of contents: title: Selected mapmakers, 1470-1860; title: The explorer and the thief; title: Small hope; title: A new world; title: Who knows the most wins; title: Catalog number one; title: Playing hardball; title: Upward departure; title: The battle of Sebec; title: Missing maps, missing cards; title: Caught!; title: The plea; title: Map quest; title: Terra incognita; title: Maps Smiley admitted stealing; title: Additional maps libraries reported missing.