What do you think?
Rate this book
The Book Thief: The True Crimes of Daniel Spiegelman
In the spring of 1994, Daniel Spiegelman shinnied up an abandoned book lift in Columbia University's Butler Library, dismantled a wall, stole books, reassembled the wall, and snuck back down the shaft. Over a three-month period he did this more than a dozen times. He eventually escaped to Europe with roughly $1.8 million in rare books, letters and manuscripts. When he was caught in the Netherlands, he tried to avoid extradition to the U.S. by telling the Dutch authorities he was a financier of the Oklahoma City bombing—knowing they wouldn't extradite someone facing the death penalty. Eventually, the FBI got him back to New York, where he finally stood trial for his crimes. Including a retelling of the crimes, dialogue from the court transcripts, and explanations of the legal consequences and intricacies, McDade recounts all the sordid elements of this true crime caper in vivid detail.
Four years, four attorneys, one determined librarian, numerous court appearances, and one guilty plea after the initial crime took place, a federal judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York meted out a sentence that ran counter to the plea agreement, nearly doubling the ordinary sentence for a crime of that magnitude. In so doing, he created a new justification for departure from Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Basing his decision on the potential harm inflicted on society as a whole by the theft of rare and unique elements of our cultural heritage, Judge Kaplan redefined the value of such rare items and justified his sentencing by determining the value to be beyond the monetary realm. McDade recounts all the sordid elements of this true-crime caper in vivid detail, presenting readers with a retelling of the crimes, dialogue from the court transcripts, and explanations of the legal consequences and intricacies. In addition to the significant, overall legal themes, The Book Thief describes two prison escape attempts, one suicide attempt, a jailed defense lawyer, and the aftermath of this unique and interesting case.
Four years, four attorneys, one determined librarian, numerous court appearances, and one guilty plea after the initial crime took place, a federal judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York meted out a sentence that ran counter to the plea agreement, nearly doubling the ordinary sentence for a crime of that magnitude. In so doing, he created a new justification for departure from Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Basing his decision on the potential harm inflicted on society as a whole by the theft of rare and unique elements of our cultural heritage, Judge Kaplan redefined the value of such rare items and justified his sentencing by determining the value to be beyond the monetary realm. McDade recounts all the sordid elements of this true-crime caper in vivid detail, presenting readers with a retelling of the crimes, dialogue from the court transcripts, and explanations of the legal consequences and intricacies. In addition to the significant, overall legal themes, The Book Thief describes two prison escape attempts, one suicide attempt, a jailed defense lawyer, and the aftermath of this unique and interesting case.
181 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2006
15 people are currently reading
511 people want to read
About the author
Travis McDade
5 books15 followersI am the curator of law rare books at the University of Illinois College of Law. I have been researching rare book crime since about 2004 when I started writing my first book. (It was somewhat misleadingly titled The Book Thief, even though the thief in question stole more than just books. I also would have liked the title to make clear that the point of the narrative was the federal legal procedure that followed the theft, not the theft itself. One of the (many)lessons I learned with that book was that authors have little control over things like the title of their book.)
In 2008, I started teaching a class on rare book crime at Illinois, and have done so, about once a year, since then. I began what became Thieves of Book Row (a title I like, by the way) as part of a chapter in another book. I became so interested in the subject that I simply could not stop researching it.
A short note on the ratings I assign books I read (which a quick look will suggest is generous): I only "rate" books that I can give at least four stars to. That is, I read books (plenty of them) that deserve fewer than four stars - so I simply don't rate them on Goodreads. There is nothing at all wrong with giving one's opinion on a book - positive or negative - but as an author who has books up for review, I feel bad giving other authors negative (or, I guess, even mediocre) ratings. I know what negative ratings feel like.
In 2008, I started teaching a class on rare book crime at Illinois, and have done so, about once a year, since then. I began what became Thieves of Book Row (a title I like, by the way) as part of a chapter in another book. I became so interested in the subject that I simply could not stop researching it.
A short note on the ratings I assign books I read (which a quick look will suggest is generous): I only "rate" books that I can give at least four stars to. That is, I read books (plenty of them) that deserve fewer than four stars - so I simply don't rate them on Goodreads. There is nothing at all wrong with giving one's opinion on a book - positive or negative - but as an author who has books up for review, I feel bad giving other authors negative (or, I guess, even mediocre) ratings. I know what negative ratings feel like.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 23, 2009
It's a bit strange to read a true-crime story about one's own workplace.
With that rather pointless introduction out of the way, let me say that I have no idea what was the author's goal in writing this book. The introduction, at less than two pages, reads like a crime novel: " In the beginning he had been skittish and worrisome-he was naturally that way. But by that point, more than ten trips in, he never worried at all. In fact, he was already thinking about the next step. He had so much loot accumulated he was starting to figure on how he could get rid of it. It filled several storage lockers in the city and was starting to get to the point where he just couldn't take it anymore. Besides, this was no crime of passion-he was ready to get paid."
I expected, after this sort of intro, an almost fictionalized account of the heist, with as much information about the thief's background as possible. Instead, after a vague sketch of the circumstances surrounding his arrest in the Netherlands, the book does an about face and the second half is dedicated almost entirely to the details of Spiegelman's court hearings, in particular his sentencing hearings. Bizarrely, we are also treated to an entire chapter explaining the history of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, and how they affected the judge's decision in sentencing Spiegelman (Judge Kaplan chose to upward depart, significantly). It's interesting, sure, but not exactly to the point in a book entitled, "The Book Thief".
While it is well-written, I cannot give this book a higher rating. The focus of the book veers from the specifics of the heist (Spiegelman climbed up the shaft of an unused book lift in the library stacks--by the way, I've verified that this shaft no longer exists, unless I've been misinformed by coworkers who were around at the time of the theft) to ruminations on the real, non-monetary value of the manuscripts and books stolen, to the banter between the federal judge and the defense lawyers. In addition, and this is completely unacceptable, there are many, many spelling errors throughout, of the sort where "to" is used instead of "too", or, even less excusable, Jean Ashton's (the then-head of the RBML at Columbia) name is spelled "Ahston".
Ultimately, I think that the author is simply not good enough to weave all of the parts of this story together in a compelling way. In the hands of someone like Lawrence Weschler, it would be an excellent read.
ETA:
I want to complain a bit more about certain details in the story that I think the author should have addressed. First, Spiegelman apparently attempted suicide when he was first arrested in the Netherlands. This is highlighted by only a few sentences in the book. Why even mention such a dramatic action if you aren't going to even attempt to verify it or explain it? It doesn't have to be tawdry, however, it can help the reader to get some insight into Spiegelman's mindset. Second, Spiegelman's attorney concocted a very bold scheme to prevent his extradition to the U.S. by letting the Dutch press think that Spiegelman had played a role in the Oklahoma City bombing by supplying arms to the operation. The idea was that, if this were in fact the case, Spiegelman would be charged with a crime that is punishable by the death penalty, and the Netherlands had no intention of extraditing someone who could be put to death. I find this legal maneuver (which was successful for a while, until Spiegelman's involvement was disproved) fascinating. What sort of person was Spiegelman to allow people to think that he may have been involved in such a terrible crime, simply to avoid prosecution in the United States? I need to know these things! This book, however, simply mentions these details and then ignores them. There is so much material to work with here: apparently it was all over the newspapers in the Netherlands. I would like to have seen a chapter devoted to this, as I think it speaks volumes about the book's ostensible protagonist. (And: Spiegelman's involvement is still being trumpeted by conspiracy theorists. I found a website that I refuse to link to, but will quote from : "Spiegelman was the fund raiser for the Oklahoma City bombing operation. He stole some rare manuscripts from Columbia University. He was arrested and imprisoned in the Netherlands when he attempted to sell historic documents. United States District Judge Lewis Kaplan, a Zionist, sentenced Spiegelman to 60 months in jail, plus 3 years probation. Daniel Spiegelman is Jewish". Seriously. The reasoning in that quote is spectacular. Spiegelman and his attorney are directly responsible for perpetuating the crazy in America).
Third complaint: Spiegelman attempted to escape from federal prison. Once again, this is just barely mentioned. Who is this man?
In sum, the most interesting aspects of this case were almost entirely ignored. The details I've mentioned should have been more fully described, and the extended section on the sentencing hearings should have been shorter. I'm done.
With that rather pointless introduction out of the way, let me say that I have no idea what was the author's goal in writing this book. The introduction, at less than two pages, reads like a crime novel: " In the beginning he had been skittish and worrisome-he was naturally that way. But by that point, more than ten trips in, he never worried at all. In fact, he was already thinking about the next step. He had so much loot accumulated he was starting to figure on how he could get rid of it. It filled several storage lockers in the city and was starting to get to the point where he just couldn't take it anymore. Besides, this was no crime of passion-he was ready to get paid."
I expected, after this sort of intro, an almost fictionalized account of the heist, with as much information about the thief's background as possible. Instead, after a vague sketch of the circumstances surrounding his arrest in the Netherlands, the book does an about face and the second half is dedicated almost entirely to the details of Spiegelman's court hearings, in particular his sentencing hearings. Bizarrely, we are also treated to an entire chapter explaining the history of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, and how they affected the judge's decision in sentencing Spiegelman (Judge Kaplan chose to upward depart, significantly). It's interesting, sure, but not exactly to the point in a book entitled, "The Book Thief".
While it is well-written, I cannot give this book a higher rating. The focus of the book veers from the specifics of the heist (Spiegelman climbed up the shaft of an unused book lift in the library stacks--by the way, I've verified that this shaft no longer exists, unless I've been misinformed by coworkers who were around at the time of the theft) to ruminations on the real, non-monetary value of the manuscripts and books stolen, to the banter between the federal judge and the defense lawyers. In addition, and this is completely unacceptable, there are many, many spelling errors throughout, of the sort where "to" is used instead of "too", or, even less excusable, Jean Ashton's (the then-head of the RBML at Columbia) name is spelled "Ahston".
Ultimately, I think that the author is simply not good enough to weave all of the parts of this story together in a compelling way. In the hands of someone like Lawrence Weschler, it would be an excellent read.
ETA:
I want to complain a bit more about certain details in the story that I think the author should have addressed. First, Spiegelman apparently attempted suicide when he was first arrested in the Netherlands. This is highlighted by only a few sentences in the book. Why even mention such a dramatic action if you aren't going to even attempt to verify it or explain it? It doesn't have to be tawdry, however, it can help the reader to get some insight into Spiegelman's mindset. Second, Spiegelman's attorney concocted a very bold scheme to prevent his extradition to the U.S. by letting the Dutch press think that Spiegelman had played a role in the Oklahoma City bombing by supplying arms to the operation. The idea was that, if this were in fact the case, Spiegelman would be charged with a crime that is punishable by the death penalty, and the Netherlands had no intention of extraditing someone who could be put to death. I find this legal maneuver (which was successful for a while, until Spiegelman's involvement was disproved) fascinating. What sort of person was Spiegelman to allow people to think that he may have been involved in such a terrible crime, simply to avoid prosecution in the United States? I need to know these things! This book, however, simply mentions these details and then ignores them. There is so much material to work with here: apparently it was all over the newspapers in the Netherlands. I would like to have seen a chapter devoted to this, as I think it speaks volumes about the book's ostensible protagonist. (And: Spiegelman's involvement is still being trumpeted by conspiracy theorists. I found a website that I refuse to link to, but will quote from : "Spiegelman was the fund raiser for the Oklahoma City bombing operation. He stole some rare manuscripts from Columbia University. He was arrested and imprisoned in the Netherlands when he attempted to sell historic documents. United States District Judge Lewis Kaplan, a Zionist, sentenced Spiegelman to 60 months in jail, plus 3 years probation. Daniel Spiegelman is Jewish". Seriously. The reasoning in that quote is spectacular. Spiegelman and his attorney are directly responsible for perpetuating the crazy in America).
Third complaint: Spiegelman attempted to escape from federal prison. Once again, this is just barely mentioned. Who is this man?
In sum, the most interesting aspects of this case were almost entirely ignored. The details I've mentioned should have been more fully described, and the extended section on the sentencing hearings should have been shorter. I'm done.
November 10, 2020
I was really excited about the premise of this book but I ended up rather disappointed. The crime itself was interesting, considering how Daniel Spiegelman was able to steal over $1 million worth of rare books and manuscripts from a Columbia University library after hours. I have to give it to the man: that took some skill and gumption. But we are given no biographical information about the perpetrator. I didn’t learn anything about his personal life (why did he immigrate from Russia?), his past criminal background (what did he forge to earn a previous prison term?), or his motives. Therefore, the title character remained somewhat intangible.
An alternate title should have been The Book Thief Gets Sentenced, because that’s what the latter half focused on. Halfway through, there’s a very dry chapter, “No Mere Procedural Formality,” about “…a comprehensive overhaul to the federal sentencing system.” This is followed by a lengthy chapter about sentencing proceedings that read like courtroom transcripts. The second half of the book was nothing but how and why a judge sentenced Spiegelman.
If the book had focused on the man and the material he stole, it could have been a great book. There was some emphasis on the cultural impact these thefts had on scholarship and how the value was more than just monetary. But because it was bogged down with legalese and the technicalities of Federal Sentencing Guidelines, it didn’t deliver a compelling narrative. I also have to mention how poorly edited it was and how many errors I encountered throughout.
An alternate title should have been The Book Thief Gets Sentenced, because that’s what the latter half focused on. Halfway through, there’s a very dry chapter, “No Mere Procedural Formality,” about “…a comprehensive overhaul to the federal sentencing system.” This is followed by a lengthy chapter about sentencing proceedings that read like courtroom transcripts. The second half of the book was nothing but how and why a judge sentenced Spiegelman.
If the book had focused on the man and the material he stole, it could have been a great book. There was some emphasis on the cultural impact these thefts had on scholarship and how the value was more than just monetary. But because it was bogged down with legalese and the technicalities of Federal Sentencing Guidelines, it didn’t deliver a compelling narrative. I also have to mention how poorly edited it was and how many errors I encountered throughout.
August 12, 2019
Fascinating story of the world of rare books: the commercial enterprise, the specialized librarians who steward them, and the academics who study them. Travis McDade narrates a fascinating story of Daniel Spiegelman, who stole an immense amount of rare works (books, maps, manuscripts etc) from the Columbia Rare book collection and the legal case that changed the way rare books are values (and therefore the criminal sentencing rules).
October 7, 2021
I was hoping for another good "Thief" book like the Orchid, Falcon, Feather and Map Thief books however this one got bogged down with too much legalese and repetitive courtroom scenes. For a thin book, I was skipping ahead a lot to finally get to a very unsatisfying end.
February 22, 2017
Not only a look behind the scenes at how a theft of rare books was accomplished, but also a personality study and, most importantly, a description of the trial and case law and how parameters were changed by its landmark finding. Recommended for book lovers, those curious about how academic libraries work and their philosophy, and especially for those interested in the legal process.
January 4, 2016
I decided to read "The Book Theif" after my cousin, Dana, recommended it to me. Granted I had already decided to read the book prior to her telling me to because someone I follow on Twitter had posted something about reading it and the quote he showed grabbed me right away. The story is told from Death's point of view, which you could pretty much figure out right from the beginning. He describes a lot of events in the story by the color they were when he saw them. For Liesel Meminger, he saw her three times. The first time he saw red, the second white, and the third black. They way that the novel is narrated will always keep you wanting to read more and more. I was probably in shock the last one hundred pages of the book because events kept happening that I thought wouldn't. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Holocaust, except from the German's point of view. Also, to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, or just fiction in general. It, to me, is a must read for every person on this planet. Overall, I love this book more than any I have read before.
Liesel Meminger was nine years old when her world was turned upside down. With a Communist father who is gone, a dead brother, and a Communist mother who is giving her up to a foster home, she embarks on a journey that will change her forever. Taken into the foster home of Hans and Rosa Huberman of 33 Himmel Street, she makes memories that will stay with her until she dies. Memories of a Jewish street fighter named Max, a lemon haired boy named Rudy, and a destroyed woman named Ilsa. Of accordions and cigars; pea soup and a wooden spoon; and most of all books. Join Liesel and her friends on an adventure that will change your life as you know it.
Liesel Meminger was nine years old when her world was turned upside down. With a Communist father who is gone, a dead brother, and a Communist mother who is giving her up to a foster home, she embarks on a journey that will change her forever. Taken into the foster home of Hans and Rosa Huberman of 33 Himmel Street, she makes memories that will stay with her until she dies. Memories of a Jewish street fighter named Max, a lemon haired boy named Rudy, and a destroyed woman named Ilsa. Of accordions and cigars; pea soup and a wooden spoon; and most of all books. Join Liesel and her friends on an adventure that will change your life as you know it.
June 5, 2014
This is the story of a man who broke into the Columbia Rare Book and Manuscript Library several times and stole an amazing amount of very precious material. He was finally caught, and this book covers his story from a reconstruction of his theft, his apprehension in Europe, through his plea bargain and finally his sentencing. A great deal of the book is devoted to the sentencing phase, in part because Spiegelman's sentence was a deviation from the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The judge received information from scholars and librarians as to the actual scholarly value of the material stolen, in addition to the pure monetary value, and as a result gave Speigelman a harsher sentence than he or his lawyers expected. This book is probably mostly of interest to people who are interested in some legal procedural matters, but I think it's probably accessible to anyone without a legal background. McDade is a lawyer & librarian, and he does a good job explaining the legal and library aspects.
August 20, 2011
It's not a long book, but it gives plenty of background on book theivery and the imporance of old books and the like. Some of the subject matter is dry, but I think that McDade does a good job of making it as interesting as possible.
I think the book does a good job of explaining why the case is so interesting as well as how previous cases influenced this one.
I had picked up this book to read because it was near another book in the library I was picking up to read. I think I liked this one a little better, but I'm more a fact-based person than an emotional-based one.
I think the book does a good job of explaining why the case is so interesting as well as how previous cases influenced this one.
I had picked up this book to read because it was near another book in the library I was picking up to read. I think I liked this one a little better, but I'm more a fact-based person than an emotional-based one.
September 10, 2014
Thought this would be more interesting that it was. The problem was very little time spent on the crimes themselves, and a great deal of time spent on the courtroom proceedings (both in Europe and in the United States) that followed after Spiegelman's capture.
The author included lengthy quoted excerpts from the trial arguments in addition to summarizing the arguments, which would have been sufficient. It felt almost as if this was a thesis for a college degree, rather than a good work of non-fiction reporting.
The author included lengthy quoted excerpts from the trial arguments in addition to summarizing the arguments, which would have been sufficient. It felt almost as if this was a thesis for a college degree, rather than a good work of non-fiction reporting.
Read
January 7, 2016The Book Thief: This book is so bad it almost made want to stop reading books. This book is written by Markus Zusak. What made this book so bad was of how boring it was. I had to read for school (which was not fun), the detail in this book was bad because the author didn't make the characters do anything. Probably the most interesting thing that happened was the main character stealing books from a mayor. COME ON MARKUS I CAN EVEN DO BETTER! This book was a waste of time, do not buy unless forced to read it. I would rate this a 0 star book……….
February 5, 2014
An interesting story over burdened by the legalese and trial transcripts, which are far from compelling stuff to the layman, but must be utterly fascinating to lawyers, which McDade is. Still, the first half of the book (the thefts, the security, the Columbia University MRBL, the selling of stolen goods, etc.) is of interest to rare book lovers anywhere.
November 2, 2015
While around the horrors of World War II Germany, Liesel finds peace by stealing books and sharing them with others. In the basement of her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents. This is similar to, To Kill A Mockingbird because of how liesel's society looks at others and judges them by just there outsides.
October 21, 2014
I enjoyed parts of this book. There is a large chapter on the laws relating to book crimes and the changes to the justice system that Daniel Spiegleman's crimes induced. It is informative, a little boring, and had several grammatical errors.
November 6, 2008
The story of a guy who stole a large number of rare books and manuscripts from Columbia University, written by a librarian/lawyer. He went into way too much legal minutiae for my tastes (lines of argument at the trial, a whole chapter on the history of sentencing guidelines).
March 13, 2013
I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction (nor all of the legal jargon) but it was really interesting to think about the repercussions Spiegelman's thefts will have on education and how that impacted the judge's decision. Boo Spiegelman!
May 6, 2013
So I may be a tad biased as the author is one of my favorite law school classmates; however this is a wonderful read - factually accurate, painstaking legal research and when we hear the author's voice we get wonderful playful moments of artful storytelling.
March 18, 2009
Stealing from libraries is bad kharma man
June 21, 2010
Interesting true story about a man who stole rare books from the library in order to sell them.
December 2, 2015
The book was amazing! The character development is through and the view point from which it was told adds to the book. The end however...
December 30, 2015
though the book was a tiny bit hard to keep up with,
if your looking for a good historical view then I and your local doctor recommend this for you.
if your looking for a good historical view then I and your local doctor recommend this for you.
January 11, 2016
Really liked it. Well written and not predictable.
February 2, 2016
Good, but sort of slow and long and definitely sad.
December 3, 2009
Book lover story...
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews