The Feather Thief

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

By: Kirk Wallace Johnson

Narrated by: 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 readers 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, twenty-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.

There's a world for everything out there

This book will bring out your inner nerd. You realize there are so many interests and addictions out there. The smallest things can enthrall many and the author has the ability to invite viewers into a world where exotic feathers are the center of the world for many.

Fantastic, Informative and Great Storytelling

this was a wonderful history of birds with a mystery of a grand theft. that being said, i will never romanticize fly fishing again. Shame on this community.

highly recommend

Well done audio book. But even more important is the story, a cautionary tale of human greed and the destruction of our natural world, a reminder that even today, we are decimating the environment by our obsession to posess it and our ability to falsely justify our actions. Must read in my opinion.

Interesting story

Well written and captivating -enjoyable and memorable despite a few slow bits. Definitely recommend this book

Interesting history on feathers

This story had an interesting twist with respect to who is interested in feathers. The reader did a good job, clear delivery and variety of accents.