The Feather Thief

Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century

De: Kirk Wallace Johnson

Narrado por: MacLeod Andrews

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 peddlers, for fans of The Stranger in the Woods, The Lost City of Z, and The Orchid Thief.

On a cool June evening in 2009, after performing a concert at London's Royal Academy of Music, 20-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist boarded a train for a suburban outpost of the British Museum of Natural History. Home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world, the Tring museum was full of rare bird specimens whose gorgeous feathers were worth staggering amounts of money to the men who shared Edwin's obsession: the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. Once inside the museum, the champion fly-tier grabbed hundreds of bird skins - some collected 150 years earlier by a contemporary of Darwin's, Alfred Russel Wallace, who'd risked everything to gather them - and escaped into the darkness.

Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was waist high in a river in northern New Mexico when his fly-fishing guide told him about the heist. He was soon consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? Had Edwin paid the price for his crime? What became of the missing skins? In his search for answers, Johnson was catapulted into a years-long, worldwide investigation. The gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice, The Feather Thief is also a fascinating exploration of obsession, and man's destructive instinct to harvest the beauty of nature.

©2018 Kirk Wallace Johnson (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Fascinating . . . a complex tale of greed, deception, and ornithological sabotage.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“Fascinating from the first page to the last - you won’t be able to put it down.” (Southern Living)

“A fascinating book . . . the kind of intelligent reported account that alerts us to a threat and that, one hopes, will never itself be endangered.” (The Wall Street Journal)

best book of 2018

loved this book, it has everything: history, true crime, great writing and captivating tale. buying it for friends and family.

Starts slow, but picks up steam

The first section is a fairly comprehensive history of Victorian fly-tying, which might be interesting if you're into that kind of thing. But, other than vague context for motivation for some of the players, it's not really essential to the story. At least not to this extent, nearly 3 hours. But once it gets to the second part, the actual heist, it becomes a much more interesting listen.

Riveting true story!

Fascinating story told in a compelling way! I could not stop listening - and it is all TRUE!

Stranger than fiction and more interesting!

Audubon magazine’s book review led me to read this and I love it so much. A strange true crime story that is fun to ponder and more enjoyable because it’s nonviolent. If you like birds, fly fishing, mysteries, natural science or quirky people read this. There’s an odd twist at the end. Wish I had a book group to discuss all the profound questions this book brought up to me. I hope more people discover this book!

fascinating: the arrogant world of fly-tying

The fascinating narrative connecting together the 19th century British naturalist and the self-involved
world of fly-tying for the sake of fly-tying. The quality of reading is superb and much enhanced the story. could not stop listening!

Excellent listen

This was a unique story that kept me listening. I felt like the author was fair to everyone envolved. Who'd of thought that feathers could be so valuable?

One of the best books in a while

This is one of the best books I've listened to on Audible. While the story is about one particular robbery, it follows several centuries of natural history. The narrative was very engaging, and the writer provided a balance of personal introspection and historical fact. The only thing that felt disappointing was the ending...however, that has more to do with the fact that in real life we do not have all the answers than with any fault on the storyteller's part. Overall, I would highly recommend this book.

Fantastic true crime story!

I loved this story! I am obsessed with true crime and this book breaks up the constant murder focus while staying true to the form. 1 part historical account, 1 part James bond villian, 1 part dogged detective story = brilliant!

Fascinating

Fascinating true story that shows human nature and our ability to become obsessed. I had no idea about salmon fly ties until I read this!

absolutely fascinating

I learned so much about a subject that I had not previously ever thought about! This was very well written and was carefully teased out to great effect. I was completely engaged in this story. Bravo!