The Map Thief: The Gripping Story Of An Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps

"I buy one wall calendar every year, and every year it’s the same kind: reproductions of old maps from the Age of Exploration. I love them for their beauty, for the sense of adventure they represent and for the hilarious misunderstandings. (California as an island, for instance.) But I didn’t know much about them until I read The Map Thief. In it, Michael Blanding tells the story of E. Forbes Smiley III, a dealer of rare, antique maps who, when he got in over his head, started stealing — and selling — maps from prominent libraries. Using wonderful reproductions, Blanding teaches the reader about the political, economic and practical uses of mapmaking since the 15th century. It makes the maps seem ever more precious, and Smiley’s crimes more monstrous."