The Feather Thief: The Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson
This book was one I received as part of a book subscription. The author heard about the theft from a fly-fishing guide and was intrigued enough to follow-up, and spent years digging into it, travelling to interview and investigate and learning more about the story.
Edwin Rist, a young American man studying in England at one of the best schools of music in the world was also obsessed with fly-fishing. He hatched a plan to break into one of the largest collection of birds in the world, take as many of the rare bird specimens that he could and get away.
This is the kind of theft that police don't give the necessary attention to, as the items stolen are valuable only to science. Some of the birds stolen had been gathered more than a hundred years earlier and this kind of collection helped scientists study bird biology, evolution, and other areas of science related to these specimens.
Fly-fishing has, from its beginnings, using bird feathers tied into 'flies' to use to attract fish. In more recent years, certain birds, due to their declining populations were prohibited from trade, including in their feathers. Interest in the creation of these 'flies has grown over the years, and many who don't even fish now compete in fly-fishing competitions, many timed. There is also passion for the more rare examples of feathers, some in birds endangered or extinct. Some collectors searched estate sales and auctions for old hats and other personal and home decor items for the feathers, but Edwin took things a step further.
His theft raised questions, about museum security, about whether he had help in the theft, about why the justice system doesn't treat this kind of theft with the seriousness the destruction of scientific knowledge should warrant.
An interesting story that left this reader with more questions.
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