The Last Bookaneer

by Matthew Pearl

book'a-neer' (bŏŏk'kå-nēr'), n. a literary pirate; an individual capable of doing all that must be done in the universe of books that publishers, authors, and readers must not have a part in

London, 1890—Pen Davenport is the most infamous bookaneer in Europe. A master of disguise, he makes his living stalking harbors, coffeehouses, and print shops for the latest manuscript to steal. But this golden age of publishing is on the verge of collapse. For a hundred years, loose copyright laws and a hungry reading public created a unique opportunity: books could easily be published without an author’s permission. Authors gained fame but suffered financially—Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, to name a few—but publishers reaped enormous profits while readers bought books inexpensively. Yet on the eve of the twentieth century, a new international treaty is signed to grind this literary underground to a sharp halt. The bookaneers are on the verge of extinction.

From the author of The Dante Club, Matthew Pearl, The Last Bookaneer is the astonishing story of these literary thieves’ epic final heist. On the island of Samoa, a dying Robert Louis Stevenson labors over a new novel. The thought of one last book from the great author fires the imaginations of the bookaneers, and soon Davenport sets out for the South Pacific island. As always, Davenport is reluctantly accompanied by his assistant Fergins, who is whisked across the world for one final caper. Fergins soon discovers the supreme thrill of aiding Davenport in his quest to steal Stevenson’s manuscript and make a fortune before the new treaty ends the bookaneers’ trade forever. But Davenport is hardly the only bookaneer with a mind to pirate Stevenson’s last novel. His longtime adversary, the monstrous Belial, appears on the island, and soon Davenport, Fergins, and Belial find themselves embroiled in a conflict larger, perhaps, than literature itself.

In The Last Bookaneer, Pearl crafts a finely wrought tale about a showdown between brilliant men in the last great act of their professions. It is nothing short of a page-turning journey to the heart of a lost era.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Books About Books, Mystery, Historical, Adventure, Book Club

389 pages, Hardcover

First published April 28, 2015

About the author

Note from the author:Hi everyone. My newest novel is The Dante Chamber, out May 29, 2018. It's a follow-up to my debut novel, The Dante Club, but you do not have to read one before the other, each stands on its own two feet. Hope you'll enjoy any of books you choose to pick up.

Matthew Pearl's novels have been international and New York Times bestsellers translated into more than 30 languages. His nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, The Atavist Magazine, and Slate. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that Matthew's books are part of "the growing genre of novel being written nowadays -- the learned, challenging kind that does not condescend." Globe and Mail declares him "a writer of rare talents," Library Journal calls Matthew "the reigning king of popular literary historical thrillers," and the New York Daily News raves "if the past is indeed a foreign country, Matthew Pearl has your passport." Matthew has been chosen Best Author for Boston Magazine's Best of Boston and received the Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction.

In addition to Goodreads, you can keep in touch and learn more at my website, www.matthewpearl.com, and:
Twitter: @matthewpearl
Facebook: fb.me/matthewpearlauthor
Instagram: matthewpearlauthor

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

“For readers, books are a universal salve.”

I liked THE BOOKANEER, but I can easily see people not liking it. It is for certain types of people, and I can’t define the “types”, but apparently I’m one of them.

I have only read one other Matthew Pearl novel, a long time ago and remember next to nothing about it, except it dealt with Poe, and it did not incite me to read more of his books.

In this text we get the adventures of a notorious bookaneer, a literary pirate if you will. Bookaneers are folks who steal writing and sell it to publishers, cutting authors out of the profits for their works. Before the international copyright laws, this was relatively easy to do. This novel is set just before the international treaty/copyright laws go into effect in 1890. One of the last bookaneers wants to get a final score and heads to Samoa to steal a manuscript that legendary author Robert Louis Stevenson is rumored to be working on.

The text is told as a reminiscence from the famous bookaneer’s loyal sidekick, and it reads with the formality of the voice of a polite and learned man from the late 1800s. At first I was not into the book, and then suddenly I was. The plot takes us to far flung places, NYC, London, Switzerland, the south pacific, and is a high adventure story, written with a literary subtlety.

Within this swashbuckling tale Mr. Pearl introduces several interesting ideas. At one point a character muses on the realization that “books can make you do things without you realizing it.” The character’s thoughts on this have some real depth and it is an idea I pondered on for quite a bit. Another time a character talks about how stories help us “ascend into a life of meaning”. I love that idea! There are many such nuggets peppered throughout the book. It is one of the great pleasures of reading THE BOOKANEER.

I could nitpick at items in this novel. For instance the ending is belabored needlessly, but I won’t. I’ll take the enjoyment of the read and leave it at that.

Some lines in the text I enjoyed:
• “Books can function in two ways…they can lull us as would a dream, or they can change us, atom by atom, until we are closer to God. One way is passive, the other animating-both worthy.”
• “-the holes in the story, the piece missing-where the real truth of the thing lurks.”
• “There is nothing as lovely as a borrowed book.”
• “It’s the real power of a book-not what is on the page, but what happens when a reader takes the pages in, makes it part of himself.”
• “Strangers talking over piles of books do not remain strangers for long.”
• “Before long I had lost my youth and my patience for indulging others.”
• “…but a man’s brain is stubborn when what is happening in life is different than what was expected.”
• “Fear is the impassable gulf between the ordinary and the remarkable.”
• “Do our professional accomplishments ever really act as a salve to personal grief?”
• “-then again, the extent and weight of our guilt drives so much of what we do.”

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the same way that the phrase “assassin nuns” made me instantly want to read Grave Mercy, as soon as I got to the words “literary pirates” in this book description, I knew I had to read The Last Bookaneer. Sadly, unlike Grave Mercy, The Last Bookaneer didn’t live up to my expectations. Although this book picked up a little towards the end, it was a mostly a very slow read that I was always close to giving up on. Here are a few of the reasons it didn’t quite work for me:

The dry writing style. The writing was objectively good, but my subjective experience was not. The author’s words didn’t make me picture what was happening. He focused on small details that never gave me the whole picture of the person or scene being described. He interrupted the story that was being told with questions from the listener or outside events every time I was becoming absorbed. Despite being technically of high quality, the writing wasn’t evocative and didn’t make me feel anything.

The feeling of being lectured by the characters. I generally love when characters have opinions about books, but in this case, they felt condescending. This could be because much of the book was an older man telling a younger man a story. Whatever the reason, it felt close to insulting.

The lack of awesome. The description of this book told me how awesome the bookaneers were. The bookaneers and the other characters all tell you how awesome the bookaneers were. They’re supposed to be adventurous, brave, daring. They’re supposed to have adventures akin to those spies have in thrillers. The actual action didn’t live up to these descriptions. This book was a slow starter for me and even when more interesting things finally started to happen, the dry writing didn’t convey any excitement.

The lack of discussion of books. Very few of the characters seemed all that interested in books, except as a way to make money. Even the characters who had opinions about books didn’t seem to have any passion for reading. I also didn’t learn as much as I would have liked about how the publishing industry worked at the time.

The weird ending. I’m not going to get spoilery here, but the ending didn’t work for me. Initially, I was excited that it managed to surprise me, but then it got strange enough I found it unbelievable.

I’m sad to write such a negative review and wish I had more redeeming things to say about this book. The premise was fantastic and I wanted to like it, but I spent most of the book debating whether to go on.

This review first published on Doing Dewey.

[Ray Palen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author John Milton once said: "To kill a man is to kill a reasonable creature, but to destroy a book is to kill reason itself".

Matthew Pearl clearly loves reading and literary history. Some of his prior Historical Thrillers involved Charles Dickens, Edgar Alan Poe and Dante. With his latest release, THE LAST BOOKANEER, he has created a valentine to books and book lovers. He also exposes the dark side of the publishing world circa 1890.

A young man named Clover commutes by London train each day. One of the most pleasant sights of his journey is when he sets eyes on Mr. Fergins. Fergins wheels a book cart down the train aisle way passing out literary treasures and classics to all those in search of their next read or to simply kill time on their journey.

Clover befriends Fergins and the bookseller begins to impart his knowledge to his young admirer. Fergins tells how the publishing company, prior to regulation, was a free-for-all and those who could get their hands on an original manuscript from someone like Twain, Shelley or Dickens would have a windfall. The sub-group of book hunters were labeled bookaneers and Fergins knows all of them --- at least those that are left.

The novel focuses on these profiteers of the written word as Fergins regales a story for Clover about his trip to the isle of Samoa in the Pacific Islands. His journey described his time as sidekick to 'the last bookaneer' --- a man named Davenport. Davenport travels under an assumed name and his target is an ailing and secluded Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson relocated to the islands primarily for health reasons and is purportedly working on what would be his final manuscript.

However, Davenport and Fergins are not alone. After they eventually befriend Stevenson and his staff they are met by a missionary priest who was actually the notorious bookaneer Belial in disguise. Belial is there for the same reason --- to con Stevenson out of is unfinished manuscript upon its' completion. The battle is on between the rival bookaneers and is a pleasure to behold.

THE LAST BOOKANEER has it all --- adventure, intrigue, historical references and events, mystery and thrills. You experience everything from typhoons to cannibals along the way and the opportunity to spend time with the legendary Robert Louis Stevenson --- a famous wit --- is worth the price of admission. A must read for anyone who loves reading and appreciates the long-standing history and tradition of book-reading!

Reviewed by Ray Palen for New Mystery Reader

[Chris Chester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never had the occasion to read anything by Matthew Pearl before, so what drew me to this book wasn't any kind of hype or pedigree, but an earnest fascination with the very concept of a bookaneer.

In short, there existed for a short time in the western world certain ambiguities or blind spots in copyright law that allowed publishing houses on either side of the Atlantic to publish the works of authors without their permission and for the publisher's exclusive profit. Little is actually known about the mysterious agents that would fulfill this role, which left Pearl ample room to guide his reader through a multi-leveled literary adventure.

It's a concept that seems aimed squarely at the habitual bookworm, and Pearl's literary arrows do find purchase. It's not enough that the narrator is himself transformed by books, the main character is a book seller, and one of the secondary characters is none other than Robert Louis Stevenson. Pearl also weaves in a number of genres into the densely-packed tome.

The relationship between Pen Davenport and Edgar Fergins seems the self-conscious shadow of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The adventures on Samoa aren't quite as romantic as Stevenson's Treasure Island, but it certainly evokes the tone. There's even a little bit of Heart of Darkness or HP Lovecraft if you know where to look.

In any case, I don't think I've been quite as pleased by a book I picked up at random in quite some time. Pearl hooked me with the unique bookaneer premise and then he delivered with a page-turner that hit all my soft spots as a book nerd. Highly recommend it.

[Piyangie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by Matthew Pearl. The plot is about a long lost group of literary pirates called “bookaneers”. I have two other Matthew Pearl books but the concept of bookaneers and the beginning of Copyright Laws curtailing this strangely notorious profession fascinated me so much in to reading this book first.

The book opens up in New York with two characters: One is a young man called Mr. Clover and the other is a middle-aged man called Mr. Fergins. The former is a book reader employed as a railway waiter and the latter is a bookseller who brings a book-cart on board of the train. They form closeness through their love for books, which after certain events, eventually leads to the narration of the main plot of the book. < spoiler> The story then switches back to London where Mr. Fergins owns his own book stall. He comes in to contact with one Mr. Penrose Davenport, who belongs to the rare species called the bookaneers. They form an association and work together. A new Copyright Law emerges in the American shore and threatens the bookaneers’ once lucrative secret profession. As one last desperate mission, before his notorious profession is killed by the Copyright Law, Pen Davenport with his associate Fergins sail South Pacific Sea to Samoan Island with the objective of stealing the greatest masterpiece of world renowned author, the great Robert Louise Stevenson. They are joined by a rival bookaneer named Bilal, who has the same intention. The story flows with the events of their adventure and finally winds up with an astounding ending giving rise to the question who the last bookaneer is.

The inclusion of Robert Louis Stevenson as a living character is quite fascinating. A good description of Samoan Island, the life of Stevenson family, the lives of the natives and their traditions and the power exerted by German authorities obliquely colonizing the island added further colour to the book.

The writing style of Mr. Pearl is praiseworthy. It is simple yet elegant. It captures your imagination and fixates you so much that you feel you are presently, at that very moment, is a part of the whole story and that the story is presently being cinematically unrolled before your own eyes. It was quite an amazing feeling.The use of language is admirable. Mr. Pearl has flawlessly grasped the English language of the late 19th Century. The use of both spoken and written language is perfectly done to reflect the language style used in that era.

Adventure, intrigue, historical information and historical events, a good writing style and correct use of language of the historical era makes the The Last Bookaneer an interesting read for everyone who appreciates a good piece of literature.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though the premise of this book was fascinating, I struggled at times trying to orient myself within its surprising layers. Even when I did get my bearings, I found myself reading for the sake of reaching the story's conclusion, rather than reading for genuine pleasure.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When they dreamed of turning iron and metal into gold, they called it alchemy. The much more far-fetched dream of turning bound sheafs of plain paper into fortunes, they call publishing.”

Fergins may be only a lowly book-cart seller now, but in a not too long distant past, he was the assistant to one of the greatest bookaneers--pirates who profit on the "high seas of literature"-- in all of Europe. With the copyright laws of Europe and the United States woefully inconsistent, there are plenty of opportunities for an unscrupulous man to make a legal pile of money. The famous bookaneers don’t always stop with the legal capers: they also find, steal, and forge manuscripts, then auction them off to the highest bidders. But now the era of copyright free-for-all is coming to an end. The great bookaneer Pen Davenport embarks upon his last mission: to travel to the island of Samoa and steal a manuscript from the reclusive and sickly author, Robert Louis Stevenson. Accompanied by his faithful friend, Davenport must engage in a battle of wits with his greatest bookaneer rival--and with the author himself.

Given that my blog username is “bookaneer,” there was no way I could resist a book with “bookaneer” in the title. In The Last Bookaneer, the bookaneers aren’t just book-borrowers or library users a la Edward Bernays; they’re true criminals, even if inconsistent copyright laws mean their actions aren’t necessarily illegal. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to wonder about the lines we draw between borrowing books and stealing them. I find these bookaneers’ willful defrauding of the authors to be despicable, but given that the bookaneers’ activities were (mostly) legal, were their activities really so morally distinct from an inveterate library user? After all, both cost the author their profits, and both are legal. I think the difference is that Pearl’s bookaneers profit from their crimes and make a business out of defrauding authors. But does that mean that the only difference is in scale? It’s all a bit uncomfortably tenuous, and the book repeatedly explores that theme. As Pen Davenport, bookaneer extraordinaire, puts it:

“People in the book world always hated the bookaneers because our operations forced them to be honest with themselves about what the whole thing really is--that literature and money were two edges of a single sword.”

Pearl’s ability to create a Victorian voice borders on genius. The story reads like a Wilkie Collins novel. In fact, Pearl is so expert at creating a Victorian perspective that I found the book’s tone quite uncomfortable. Much of the story takes place in Samoa and explores the tensions between various colonizers, the seething unrest of the native and slave populations, and Stevenson’s own interactions with the native Samoans. While Stevenson was certainly very broad-minded for his time period, the “great white chief” flavor of his household setup is certain to leave a bad taste in the mouths of the contemporary reader, even though it would be completely anachronistic to write the story differently. Even though the narrator cannot shake his own racism, the book does present several interesting Samoan characters, and a secondary narrator even hints at Fergins’ biases.

Fergins is a sympathetic narrator, and his interactions with the famous bookaneer Pen Davenport have an amusing Holmes-Watson rhythm, although I think Davenport himself is far more similar to Hornig’s Raffles. I’m not much of a fan of Raffles, and I don’t really understand Davenport’s belief that stealing an author’s manuscript can be considered some laudable venture. All the same, I enjoyed the way in which Davenport’s arrogance and lack of empathy become a running gag throughout the book. The rest of Fergins’ narrative is also full of plenty of gentle humor; for example:

“Ingenious, really.”
“It did not work, though.”
“That is the problem with ingenuity.”

Each of the characters, including Davenport himself, tries to live up to the image that others have of them, and their inability to turn fiction into reality is their ultimate tragedy.

Most of the story is an adventurous Wilkie Collins-style romp, but a twist so bizarre that it feels like something out of a scifi short story highlights the core theme of the novel: an exploration of the true nature of books. Are they captured ideas or text-bound physical objects? Are they ideas that can be owned or are they meant to be shared? This duality of the concrete and the abstract is utterly mindbending, and even more confusing in the era of e-books. At what point does the author become distinct from his creation, ideologically or financially? As one character concludes:

“The moral is this: authors do not create literature; they are consumed by it.”

**Note: this review is of an uncorrected advanced reader copy. While the included quotes may not reflect the final phrasing, I believe they speak to the nature of the novel as a whole.**

~~I received an advanced reader copy of this ebook through Netgalley from the publisher, Penguin Group, in exchange for my honest review.~~

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last Bookaneer is historical fiction that blends literary history with adventure. Set in 1891, the storyline involves "bookaneers” (defined in the novel as literary pirates who steal manuscripts from authors to sell to publishers). When bookaneer Davenport and unwilling accomplice Fergins learn that Robert Louis Stevenson is completing his final novel in Samoa, they embark on a dangerous journey to locate the manuscript before the copyright laws change and put them out of “business.” To add to the challenge, they are competing against another bookaneer, Belial, an old nemesis and rival.

The narrative unfolds through a conversation between Fergins and Mr. Clover, a porter he meets on a train. Fergins relates their story to Mr. Clover in first person. This framing device allows readers to experience the adventure firsthand. Pearl's prose is atmospheric. The tropical setting of Samoa contrasts beautifully with the urban publishing world of London and New York. He brings the famous author to life in a manner that feels realistic. The book explores themes of creation, ownership, and literary legacy.

While it is a thriller toward the end, the first half is slower paced. It is a book lover’s book with plenty of embedded literary references. It is also an entertaining adventure. It depicts the transition to our modern concept of copyright law and intellectual property rights. I stumbled across this book when looking for a book set in Samoa, and I’m glad I did. Recommended to fans of historical fiction with literary themes.

[Cian O hAnnrachainn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prose was well formed, the voice scented with a hint of Mark Twain.

And yet...

There is an adventure tale in this novel, a preposterous saga that is told by an itinerant bookseller to a railroad porter. The premise revolves around copyright laws before 1900 and book pirates out to swipe Robert Louis Stevenson's last manuscript so they can sell it before the new law kicks in and their manuscript-stealing becomes illegal. Not unlike an unscrupulous literary agent, in a way. Madness, indeed.

And yet....

I made it through the first 200 pages and could no longer force myself to keep reading. The tale had wit, but the pace was too slow. The novel was boring and the thought of another 200 pages was too much to endure. So I gave up. The subtle digs at modern publishing were too distracting for me, as were quips about greedy publishers and books becoming too expensive, etc. etc. Readers who do not follow the industry probably won't notice and will likely have an easier time in connecting with the novel.

It isn't you, Last Bookaneer, it's me. Sorry we had to part, but you'll find an audience out there.

[Ashley Reading Stewardess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would like to thank First to Read for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of Matthew Pearl's newest book. As with many readers, I was first introduced to Matthew Pearl's writing with his novel "The Dante Club" which I loved. Unfortunately I have found his subsequent books that I've read since are hit or miss. "The Last Bookaneer" was a miss for me. The premise of the book sound so wonderful and promising but I found the actual execution to be long winded and at times quite boring. It wasn't until much past halfway through that the story finally began to pick up and become interesting for me.

This is one of those books where readers will either love it or not, for this reader I do not love it despite liking the author.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

Matthew Pearl has made an entire career out of fanciful, action-packed thrillers set within obscure historical corners of intellectualism (his most famous novel continues to be The Dante Club, concerning a sort of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen supergroup of Victorian writers who band together to solve crimes); so it should come as no surprise that his latest, The Last Bookaneer, continues along this same vein, with its main framing device being the period in the 1800s after copyright laws had been invented in the US and England but before the countries had decided to honor the other's, leading to a shadowy profession of manuscript thieves whose job it was to whisk away famous authors' newest books while still in the production stage in one country, so to be legally ripped off and sold by unscrupulous publishers in the other.

But make no mistake, this is no genteel steampunk tale told in the back alleys of London or New York; in fact, the vast majority of the story takes place on the South Seas island of Samoa, after a rumor starts that self-exiled author Robert Louis Stevenson has recently completed what many consider the most important novel of his career, prompting a number of dueling bookaneers to make a trip to this far-flung location in order to attempt a series of con jobs for the purpose of securing said fabled manuscript. And this is just the tip of the iceburg of this cleverly metafictional "story within a story within a story," which very inventively layers surprise twist upon surprise twist even as the story itself is related to us through a narrator telling the story of a narrator telling the story of a narrator. A book that on top of everything else makes very astute comments about the state of publishing here in the 21st century, and why obsessive book lovers become obsessive in the first place, from a pure entertainment standpoint this is one of the most delightful reads I've had in the last year, a loving ode to the power of printed books that is a must-read to anyone who has ever turned their nose up at the very idea of Kindles. It comes with a huge recommendation to one and all, and will be quite easily making CCLaP's best-of lists at the end of the year.

Out of 10: 9.8

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I DNFed this book at page 147. Although I was enjoying the premise of the story, I just couldn't get past the fact that the chapters are really long and there are a lot of boring parts. I think if the book was written a little differently, I would probably enjoy it.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you love to read? Are you a book enthusiast? A voracious reader? Do you just love books? Have you ever wondered about the history of publishing in history? (Although this IS fiction). Like adventure? All of those fit this book and more! You are going to LOVE this book! This book is an adventure about stealing manuscripts from authors and being able to sell these out from under the authors noses. This book is told by a Narrator who takes us and ends up going on this adventure, too, all over the place.
While not a typical book I would read, but because this is about books which I read the first few chapters in Buzz Books Spring/Summer 2015 (another one, again!), this absolutely grabbed my attention! Believe me, if you are not the Adventure type reader, but LOVE books, you are still going to LOVE this journey! You will enjoy this immensely!
I’m not going to say too much more about this book because there is already a lot in the description up above, but you should go on this journey and you will never forget it! It really makes you wonder if this happened back then! Thanks to the publisher, Penguin Press and NetGalley for this one!

[Joanne Moyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"book-a-neer" a literary pirate, an individual capable of doing all that must be done in the universe of books that publishers, authors and readers must not have a part in

Mr. Clover is a railcar waiter for the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company in the the late 1800s. Being an avid reader he looks forward to the visits of Mr. Fergins and his cart of books for sale to train riders. Their mutual love of books forges a friendship and Mr. Fergins relates his life story to Mr. Clover, from his start as a lowly bookseller in London to his partnership with one of the most famous bookaneers of all time - Penrose Davenport. He tells an amazing story of the plan to steal the last book written by Robert Louis Stevenson, who has been living an isolated life on the island of Samoa for years. A universal copywrite law is about to go into effect which will put an end to the bookaneers and this final coup is too good to pass up. There is of course another top
bookaneer out to do the same and it becomes a race to see who can accomplish the deed first.

I enjoyed the adventure of the 'bookaneers' in their quest for one final grasp at glory. Not knowing much about R L Stevenson, I found his story quite interesting - learning that he did indeed spend his final years on the island of Samoa, and that his final book was not a novel but related the plight of the Somaons against conquest by other nations.

The Last Bookaneer is overall a good fun read

[Jaclyn Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m really conflicted about how to talk about this one. On one hand, I can appreciate the creativity, inventiveness, and research that went into creating this story and the world in which it’s set. On the other hand, it can be dry, meandering, and it takes a good portion of the book–most of it, actually–to establish the kind of suspense and intrigue I had expected closer to the start. To Pearl’s credit, when the plot really starts going, it goes. Sucks that it has to be less than 100 pages before the book concludes, but I get that the payoff may have been that satisfying because of the methodical backstory he established earlier. I think the most frustrating thing about this book is that often the so-called bookaneers ruminate about their past adventures, their thrilling feats of literary piracy, and yet none of that excitement manages to transfer to the actual tale we–the readers–are a part of. Sure, it heats up toward the end, but the theft of Robert Louis Stevenson’s newest novel from his estate on Samoa seems to pale in comparison to an earlier discussed hunt involving a lost Mary Shelley manuscript. Anyway, I wanted to love this book. It didn’t happen. On to the next.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly enjoyable and well-written adventure story that's told in a neo-Victorian style with the boyish innocence of tales like Robinson Crusoe and The Count of Monte Cristo. I love the addition of interesting factoids about Robert Louis Stevenson's life and the bookish themes that revolve around collectors, libraries and the hunt for prized novels that made up for this book dragging a bit towards the end.

[Nan Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does this story ever get anywhere? I was about 100 pages into it, but simply couldn't stay awake. It would be great for insomnia.

Boring, boring, boring.

It was difficult to maintain the story line in my head (maybe there wasn't one), but it was so very boring, I didn't care.

[Vivone Os · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buddy Readathon s Anom – 12
Ova knjiga mi je bila kao ona izreka: „Gdje si bio? Nigdje. Što si radio? Ništa.“
Dakle, što sam ja to pročitala? Zaista ne znam. Autor je natrpao ali baš svega i svačega. Prva polovica knjige predosadna. Da nije bila za buddy read, mislim da bih ju ne samo ostavila, nego (da sam čitala papirnatu knjigu) šutnula u smeće. Na pola knjige se nešto počinje i događati, malo povijesti, malo avanture. Svidjelo mi se što opisuje život Roberta Louisa Stevensona (i pitala sam se koliko su to napisano o njemu stvarne činjenice i na kraju knjige sam dobila odgovor). Zbog tih događaja sam čak naginjala dati knjizi 3 zvjezdice, al onda je autor na kraju sve sjebao i odoše moje tri zvjezdice u vjetar. Likovi mi se uopće nisu svidjeli, a i kad mi se jedan od njih pomalo počeo sviđati, autor ga sasiječe u korijenu. Nije mi se svidjelo u kojem smjeru je priča krenula, željela sam drugačiji kraj. I to što se tijekom knjige dogodilo nekoliko zaista iznenađujućih preokreta, nije pomoglo, jer mi se nijedan nije svidio (osim odlaska glavnih likova na Samou), a neki su bili i besmisleni (Fergrinsovo tumaranje po prašumi). Jedva jedvice će zbog Stevensona dobiti dvojku.
Kako neka knjiga o knjigama može biti tako razočaravajuća.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

I'm always interested in books about books, and this book tells about the final days of the bookaneers, people who stole manuscripts from writers for publishers, which is coming to an end with the introduction of copyrights. The main characters try one final time to get their hands on the latest book by Robert Louis Stevenson, which he was writing all the way in Samoa.

The premise was really interesting, but in the execution there was something that didn't really work out. The writing and most of the story were really slow, and there is a lot that doesn't really add to it. It was interesting and kept me entertained, but I felt it was too long for the story it told. I think with the concept of bookaneers, more books could be written (apparently there's at least one more, which features some of the characters from The Last Bookaneer).

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: racism, racial slurs, death, fire, mentions of cannibalism, discussions of colonialism.

I picked this up partly for my Read Around the World project, but partly because the concept sounded extremely unique - a group of people who travel the world to try and steal manuscripts from authors to be able to publish them before anyone else. In this case, those people travel to Samoa to try and claim Robert Louis Stevenson's latest work.

Unfortunately, this turned out to be strangely bound up in the introduction of copyright law and I just found that the entire thing plodded along. Particularly when the story starts in the US well after the events in Samoa with a Black train employee meeting a bookseller on a train. Yes, the stories ultimately wove together in a story-within-a-story kind of way, but as it was I found it something of a jarring reading experience.

I guess at least I crossed Samoa off my list??

[The Lit Bitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was truly an adventure read. I loved that Pearl kept with the buccaneer spirit of the novel by making the manuscript one by Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island. I loved that the characters boarded a boat bound for a mysterious and exotic location and gave them the great title of ‘bookaneer’. Everything about the novel said ‘adventure’. It was superb!


There were times when Fergins kind of annoyed me as a narrator though. At times he seemed like such an unlikely companion to Pen and he had this tone of trepidation almost. I guess I expected more of an eccentric or strong narrator for Pen’s adventures because he was such an ‘over the top’ figure in my mind.

I personally know nothing about the publishing industry or copyright laws etc so that part of the book was equally intriguing and yet boring at the same time. Parts of it I found interesting and other parts I found less applicable but over all it was fine and necessary to the story.

There were parts in the book that I felt were a little sluggish, I hesitate to say ‘slow’ as the novel didn’t feel ‘slow’ but there were parts in the beginning and in the middle where I felt that the story got hung up in explaining the publishing industry too much instead of letting the story unfold, if that makes sense.

The ending though is what made the novel for me. The last few chapters I was quickly turning pages and enthralled in how everything came full circle. In that aspect Pearl doesn’t disappoint! The ending is fantastic.

I think what I liked best about this book is the adventure and exotic feel it had. In many ways it was familiar but the tone in which Pearl tells the story made you feel like you were reading something new and different….just like some of the great adventure novelists like Mark Twain and Robert Louis Stevenson himself. I loved that the novel started in England and quickly exited to a new exotic location. The entire novel could easily have taken place in England but Pearl instead took readers out onto the high seas and a world away to tell his adventure tale, I loved that about this book.

The refreshing setting and unique way the story unfolded through the narrator made this book for me. I would be eager to read some of Pearls other books, I enjoy his easy writing style and the way he builds a story up and wrapping it up neatly at the end.

See my full review here

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a Matthew Pearl fan since reading his first novel The Dante Club. His latest novel is The Bookaneers, a rollicking good read with lots of twists and turns and red herrings. A Bookaneer is Pearl's imagined literary pirates, back before the United States accepted European copywrite laws, vying to steal manuscripts to be sold to printers. Their idealized rationale was that literature must be available to the readers. Their motive, more than money, was pride in being the best thief.

Bookaneer Pen Davenport has asked bookseller Fergins to travel to Samoa with him as his sidekieck. Fergins was to record Davenport's last act as Bookaneer before the July 1, 1890 deadline when copyright laws are enacted in the United States. His object is to steal Robert Louis Stevenson's current novel. Their arch rival Belial has arrived before them, taking the role of a Marist priest to worm his way into the Stevenson household. Davenport is posing as a travel writer.

In 1889, after wandering the South Pacific, Stevenson settled in Samoa where he built a home, Vailima , where his and his wife and her children lived until his death in 1894. In The Bookaneers we meet Stevenson and learn about his life in Samoa and his 'lordship' over the natives who called him Tusitala-- The Teller of Tales. In a preliterate society without books, memorizing the tribal stories by a story teller was an important and revered role. Stevenson is a real presence, his lanky frame draped sideways over chairs, or sprawled on a bed surrounded by papers while writing.

The story is framed with Fergins telling his adventures with Davenport to a young friend, Mr. Clover, a dark skinned train waiter in love with books. Fergins himself is a Teller of Tales. This device allows Pearl to manipulate the plot in ingenious ways, keeping the reader on a roller coaster ride as Clover hears the story in pieces,and in the end goes on his own search for knowledge. Several times I thought the story had concluded; but one more twist was in store.

The book reminded me of an adventure tale, a romance like the old school stories of the 19th c. I enjoyed every minute.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book on Bookreads giveaways compliments of Penguin Press. A delightful and inventive tale of an itinerant bookseller, push car and all, is told to a literature loving railroad porter and moves at a snail's pace...agonizingly slow. Book pirates (bookaneers) seek to steal what should be the last manuscript of Robert Louis Stevenson before the new copyright laws take effect. Despite the historical references, the well crafted characters and the red herrings that pop up amongst the twist & turns, I wasn't totally in love with this book. It didn't grab me or hold all my interest...but it wasn't terrible either.

[Adele Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

After frequent interruptions and unremarkable reading progress, I was very pleased to finally get into this novel by Matthew Pearl. His mastery of complex plots and the writing craft, ensured it was reading time well invested. I did feel the resolution of this work a little drawn out in comparison to previous reads, but was also impressed by a clever twist, which I was certainly not expecting. As with Pearl's other work, I particularly enjoyed the way his love of literature and history seeped through pages of the story, adding richness to the real-life framework upon which the plot was structured. Recommended.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on truth, but this is completely a fictitious account involving Robert Louis Stevenson. A bookaneer was a person who tried to steal works from authors and taking credit and monies away from the true author. Since Stevenson had moved to Samoa, he was a prime target. If able to get his work, the bookaneer felt positive Samoa-living Stevenson would never hear or know of one of his books being published in England or America with someone else's name on it. Brilliantly narrated by Simon Vance and J. D. Jackson.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1890 London, Pen Davenport contemplates his dwindling prospects. For years he has smuggled books out of one country for publication in another, a form of literary piracy dubbed "bookaneering," but new international copyright laws are putting Davenport and his kind out of business. Then his associate Fergins hears something almost too good to be true: Robert Lewis Stevenson, living in Samoa and close to death, is completing one final masterpiece. The adventure begins! This novel mixes historical and fictional characters and is a very clever literary thriller.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I withheld my review until bookclub was over. BORING book. I was so hoping it to be more about books but I didn't feel the characters even cared about books, more about their opinions about books. The concept was good which is why I even picked it for bookclub. I did feel the characters were developed but it could not hold my interest at all. Never finished the book, which is a rarity for me. Big apologies to the bookclub!

[Steven Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Matthew Pearl’s latest historical thriller, THE LAST BOOKANEER he raises the question of what is a “book’a-neer’ (bŏŏk’kå-nēr’), n. a literary pirate; an individual capable of doing all that must be done in the universe of books that publishers, authors, and readers must not have a part in.” Further he states that it is a person who was part of “the mostly invisible chain of actors that links authors to readers.” These definitions provide the basis for Pearl’s continued ability to design and develop plot lines that bibliophiles find endearing and all consuming. After his successes with THE DANTE CLUB, THE POE SHADOW and THE LAST DICKENS his latest effort finds the reader engrossed in a tale centered in the Samoan Islands in the early 1890s involving a supposed last novel from the pen of Robert Louis Stevenson. In fact, in 1890 Stevenson did purchase a 400 acre tract of land in Upolu in Samoa where he built his estate in the village of Vailima where he would live until his death in 1894. A major part of the novel is centered on the estate and the surrounding area encompassing its topography and the lives of the Samoan people. What makes the novel a success is Pearl’s continued ability to place the reader in the 19th century and creating a wonderful literary yarn that reeks of a possible reality.

The story evolves as Edgar Fergins, an English bookseller imparts the history of bookaneers beginning in 1790 and the first American laws that governed copyrights that left out foreign authors, causing foreign countries to withdraw the protection of American authors. What resulted was the plundering of literature on both sides of the Atlantic. Publishers resorted to hiring covert agents to scour the world for manuscripts in the hope of publishing important items first. Employing spying and intimidation these individuals were a focal point of the publishing industry. Pearl provides a number of bookaneers for the reader to engage with. Whiskey Bill and Kitten reappear from previous novels, but it is the American, Penrose Davenport, employing Edgar Fergins in his quest to seize Stevenson’s last manuscript, THE SHOVELS OF NEWTON FRENCH that dominate the story along with their arch enemy in the chase, Benjamin Lott, better known as Belial. As countries moved toward an international agreement on copyright laws in the last quarter of the 19th century, the livelihood of bookaneers was threatened with extinction. The background for the story is served by Davenport and Belial’s fear that the race for Stevenson’s manuscript would be the last such adventure that they would ever engage in. This leads to a story that centered on lies and deception, with vengeance and guilt not far from the surface.

Pearl’s love of books emerges through his diverse characters as Fergins remarks, “For readers, books are a universal salve. When we are hot, we read to feel cooler, when we are cold, we read to warm up; tired, books wake us; anxious, they calm us.” (142) The keeper of a bookstall has insights that no one else has. “From the type of cracks in the spine and the edges of pages, I can tell at a glance a book that is well read from a book that has been abused….books are not just words on the page, but the blots and the dog-earned corners, the buttery thumbprints and pipe ash we leave on them. Books are written over with names, dates, romantic and business propositions, gift dedications, the pages could be pressed onto flowers, keys and notes. A book can unfold moments or generations.…how odd it must be to go through life believing that a book [is only] a book.” (289)

The story is narrated by Fergins in large part as he conveys his experience in Samoa and the literary industry in general to a dining car waiter he has met in New York named Clover. Later in the novel Clover will take over as the second narrator as the plot takes a most unusual twist. Through his characters Pearl provides the reader with an exquisite description of the Samoan Islands and its people. We see the beauty of their customs and the loyalty they express. At this time the natives are caught in a crossfire between German and English interests on the islands that creates an indigenous civil war that they must contend with. There are parts of the novel that remind us of Joseph Conrad’s HEART OF DARKNESS which also examined civilized vs. primitive societies. Through the portrayal of Stevenson’s bohemian lifestyle we witness a somewhat civilized society, while on the other hand we see the savageness of the bookaneer in the characters of Davenport and Belial, while the local Samoans seem to be the epitome of the purity of the human soul.

If you enjoyed Pearl’s previous historical mysteries, his current effort will not disappoint. The plot continuously shifts and offers numerous surprises. It calls forth emotions in the characters as well as the reader and Pearl’s style as he describes “Tusitala” (Stevenson’s Samoan name) reign as a chieftain in the Pacific as we witness a contented man who has escaped the industrialized world for the simplicity and freedom that he yearned for.

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

During most of the 19th c., copyright laws were lax for books written by authors in different countries. As a result, bookaneers had been stealing manuscripts from authors and auctioning them off to the highest bidder. These bookaneers are the stuff of legend for book lovers everywhere, just as swashbuckling and bigger-than-life as any buccaneer. But it is the end of the 19th c. and things are about to change. Governments everywhere are enacting new copyright laws that will protect international publishing houses. Now, for two of the most prominent bookaneers, there is one last mission – Robert Louis Stevenson, who now lives on Samoa is rumoured to be writing a new book and it is their intention to steal it before these new laws come into effect. To do so, however, they must embark on an adventure as lively and as full of dangerous impediments as that of Stevenson’s most beloved hero, Jim Hawkins.

Fergins, a bookseller, had been fascinated by the bookaneers and had become involved at first peripherally by selling some of the purloined books. But then he met Pen Davenport, perhaps the most legendary of them all and he had accompanied Davenport to Samoa. Now, the first bookaneer to be tried under the new laws is on trial and Fergins is telling the tale of the last bookaneer to a young bookish railway worker.

The Last Bookaneer by author Matthew Pearl is as entertaining as any of the stories stolen by those intrepid book thieves. Weaving fact with fiction and written in the style of the 19th c. novel, it is chock full of fascinating characters and the kind of adventure that used to grace the pages of the best adventure books. I suspect that this style may not appeal to everyone - the denseness of narrative, the beautifully crafted descriptions, and the sly wit that was often used by authors like Dickens and Stevenson to shed light on what they perceived as an injustice may seem plodding to some – but for those of us who love the classics and for those very reasons, this is definitely an exciting tale of swashbuckling derring-do. And truth be told, it’s hard not to love a tale that equates the love and value of books to the piratical love of gold

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading a few light fictions I was eager to reading something more literary with substance and interesting characters.I found some of that in this historical fiction.

There were a lot of things I liked about this book. It had famous writers of 19th Century like Mary Shelley and Robert Louis Stevenson, and it had the literary pirates known as Bookaneer, who steals and competes with each other for manuscripts and/or rumored works written by popular authors of the time and sell them to publishers for profit.

With Copyright laws about to be enforced these legendary Bookaneers will be jobless, but two dueling greats go on a mission to steal the last work of Robert Louis Stevenson to the island of Samoa, and be the sole winner and go down as the best.

The setup, the characters and the setting were good but the execution could have been better, there were some lost opportunities, as well as the flow was off. It felt bit slow in certain parts, and it was fun in others, there were some cliches, and I thought it could have been more exciting overall. The twist at the end could have been better,but partially it was because the characters I was enchanted with were not present and the one who was was just okay.
There were some good plot points and characters but I felt like they were wasted in a way, for example, Davenport and Belial. In a way,I think I was looking for adventure stories of the Bookaneers.