About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherRandom House Publishing Group

ISBN-100375501517

ISBN-139780375501517

eBay Product ID (ePID)1681750

Product Key Features

Book TitleIsland of Lost Maps : a True Story of Cartographic Crime

Number of Pages432 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2000

TopicPaper Ephemera, Library & Information Science / Collection Development, Criminology

IllustratorYes

GenreSocial Science, Language Arts & Disciplines, Antiques & Collectibles

AuthorGilbert Joseph Bland, Miles Harvey

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1 in

Item Weight16.8 Oz

Item Length7.2 in

Item Width5.4 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN00-025604

TitleLeadingThe

Dewey Edition21

ReviewsAdvance praise forThe Island of Lost Maps "Just like the most elegant of the maps at the center of this intricate tale, Miles Harvey's impeccably written guide to the extraordinary and unsung obsession of the cartomaniac is intriguing, beguiling, and refined. And as with the best of maps, the more one looks, the more fascinating and intriguing it all becomes." --Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman "The Island of Lost Maps is an intriguing literary adventure story, written with flair, imagination and precision. By re-creating the journey of a strange and remarkable map thief, author Miles Harvey takes readers on a compelling exploration of the weird world of maps." --Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief

Dewey Decimal364.16/2

SynopsisU.S.A. $24.95 Canada $35.95 "Every once in a blue moon you read a book that leaves you absolutely breathless, reminding you of the bright, hidden worlds within our world. This is that book, a glimmering, supersonic journey into terra incognita, where Miles Harvey, acting as writer and sleuth, pursues America's greatest map thief. This is a riveting, hilarious book of twists and turns, unexpected confessions and deep human truths. You will not rest until the last page." --Michael Paterniti, author of Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain The Island of Lost Maps is the story of a curious crime spree: the theft of scores of valuable centuries-old maps from some of the most prominent research libraries in the United States and Canada. The perpetrator was the Al Capone of cartography, a man with the unlikely name of Gilbert Bland, Jr., an enigmatic antiques dealer from south Florida whose cross-country slash-and-dash operation went virtually undetected until he was caught in December 1995. This is also the spellbinding story of author Miles Harvey's quest to understand America's greatest map thief, a chameleon who changed careers and families without ever looking back. Gilbert Bland was a cipher, a blank slate--for Harvey, journalistic terra incognita. Filling in Bland's life was like filling in a map, and grew from an investigation into an intellectual adventure. Harvey listens to the fury of the librarians from whom Bland stole. He introduces us to America's foremost map mogul, a millionaire maverick who predicted the boom in map collecting. He retraces Bland's life, from his run-ins with the law to his troubled service in Vietnam. And finally, with the aid of an FBI agent, Harvey discovers the Island of Lost Maps. The deeper Miles Harvey investigates, the more we are drawn into this fascinating subculture of collectors, experts, and enthusiasts, all of them gripped by an obsession both surreal and sublime. Capturing that passion in perfect pitch, The Island of Lost Maps is an intriguing story of exploration, craftsmanship, villainy, and the lure of the unknown.

LC Classification NumberZ702.B58H37 2000