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

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For previous TetZoo articles linked in some way to this one (because they’re on the relevant groups of birds or on matters of ornithology somehow connected to what’s discussed here), see… I could not summarize what this book is about better than this quote from author, Kirk Wallace Johnson. The Feather Thief is not only a thrilling account of the crime and its aftermath but also a potted history of our relationship with the natural world Mail on Sunday Edwin Rist's story fascinated Johnson not just because it was such a bizarre crime, but because of the underground world it revealed, where other tiers (this is how it's spelled, which drives me BONKERS; I keep wanting it to be spelled "tyers") chase rarer and rarer feathers, many of which come from endangered bird species that are protected by international treaties. They scorn replicas, and venerate the Victorian "recipes" for the flies. Most of them do not even fish. If you're a fan of these fascinating works of non-fiction, then grab hold of this story of the feather thief before he gets away with it. The book was recommended to me by a friend who is not known for reading much, and his thrilled response to it had me intrigued.

Johnson’s narrative entertainingly recounts not just Rist’s strange story but that of the pioneering Victorian ornithologists too New Statesman These feathers come from some of the rarest birds in the world, such as the Resplendent Quetzal, the King Bird of Paradise, the Flame Bowerbird, and the Blue Chatterer. Due to the rarity of the birds, the world came together and enacted a treaty to protect them, and other rare and endangered species. It became known as the "CITES" treaty (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). It's the basis for the laws prohibiting trade in ivory, for example, as well as many other animals and plants.While this may not sound like a book that would appeal to a broad audience, it should. Those familiar with the sport of fly-fishing will understand aspects and nuances many of us never will, about this case, but historians, true crime readers, mystery fans and even fans of legal dramas, will find this to be a very compelling story. This one brief conversation soon became an obsession with Johnson to find out the true story, what really happened during the robbery at Tring where drawers of bird specimens came to be stored during World War II, in the mansion of Lord Walter Rothschild. What motivated Rist an American talented musician and fly-tier to commit this crime? True Crime (Tikrų nusikaltimų) žanro knygas skaitau labai retai. Nusikaltimai mane domina mažiausiai. Ėmiausi šios knygos, nes aprašomas kriminalas - ne žudymas, bet viena iš garsiausiu 20 a. vagysčių. Ji įvykdyta iš aistros žvejybinėms muselėms, pagamintoms iš retų ir net jau išnykusių paukščių plunksnų.

The Feather Thief truly is a tale of obsession . . . A wonderfully assured writer, [Johnson] takes us on a curious journey into the past . . . Vivid and arresting. The Times A captivating tale of an unlikely thief and his even more unlikely crime, and a meditation on obsession, greed, and the sheer fascination in something as seemingly simple as a feather Paul Collins, author of The Murder of the Century This gem of a book, is marvelous, moving, and transcendent. I can’t stop thinking about it Dean King, author of Skeletons on the Zahara Beautiful, Big, Bold Dinosaur Books: of Molina-Pérez and Larramendi’s Theropods, Rey’s Extreme Dinosaurs 2, and Parker et al.’s SaurianThe story takes us to the times where explorers first started to travel overseas to discover and collect bird species for scientific research. It then explores how these discoveries lead bird feathers to be used brutally in fashion and hobbies like fly-tying. There's a lot of research and information without dumping it on us in a boring way. The book is written in a very engaging language, making the subject matter interesting somehow. It’s worth noting that Jenna Bush Hager is the daughter of Former President George W. Bush, a passionate fly angler himself, just like his father Former President George H.W. Bush.

This book – like the birds, rogues, and adventurers at the heart of it – has had an astonishing life, and, thanks to exuberant readers, continues to find a wide audience,” said Johnson. “I’m honored for the opportunity to helm the adaptation with such a great team – their passion for this project was so overwhelming that it made me feel as though I was discovering the story for the first time.” The author traces the origins of the feathers and how they came to be in the museum, which is far more interesting than one might think. From there the book builds into a detective story, then a legal drama, then finally a personal quest for the whole truth and maybe some modicum of justice.Rist, who claims to suffer from Asperger's syndrome is clever, educated, talented and skilled, and while his crime is not a violent one, he still did a horrible thing- and based on Johnson's exclusive interviews with Rist, he comes off as a greedy, little sociopath who never expressed the proper amount of remorse for his crimes. I’m afraid I did not find him to be sympathetic character at all- sorry, not sorry...