The Gripping Story of an Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps

Michael Blanding combines a history of cartography, the stories that antique maps tell us, and the series of crimes of a respected map dealer. Together, they make for fascinating reading. There are limited number of top-notch map dealers, who operate under a code of trust, among themselves and with their customers, who depend on them for an understanding of a map's historical significance and for assurances of its authenticity and provenance. Forbes Smiley broke that trust in order to fuel his high-cost lifestyle. He stole maps from prized institutional collections and sold them to other dealers and wealthy customers. Blanding finely details his methods, and offers portraits of all the major players in the market. In many ways the background is the most interesting part. The cartographers from as far back as the 1500's were interesting figures themselves. What they learned about geography would change the course of history, through explorations and wars. Owning these maps gives one a piece of history. When you finish this book, you may be eager to buy one yourself.

This is a rich, excellent book on every level - the author gives so much, asking only that the reader be thoughtful, curious, imaginative. I listened to the equally excellently narrated version. The book is not only well researched, but the research is presented in a style that excites the reader/listener in a "tell me more" fashion. My cupidity was aroused - I wanted to see all the maps...I wanted to own all the maps. This is not just a story about a very flawed man - the map thief himself - but it is about the progress of how America was seen to be discovered, one map at a time. It is the story of maps themselves - maps of land, of the seas - imagination and the beautiful work of art demonstrating on paper "here's what we think we know about the world up to this very time" and how that was changed and changed again based on new information, politics. Re the Map Thief himself, this is a fairly well fleshed out "map" of a man who got ahead of himself, became bigger than himself, struggled with his own gifts, personality and skills and ended up tripping over his own feet. I found myself wondering about his wife, how she dealt with her husband, their life, the denouement of his career. Curiously, very little is mentioned of Lisa, the wife; not even a mention given to not mentioning her beyond the most necessary junctures in the story telling.

At one point I wondered how others had written about this book on the store. I was struck that there were a number of negative - one and two star - reviews. When I read them, I thought, "Lord, save us from disgruntled book club members." I have seen similar responses to other books on the store: the complainer states that if s/he had not been required to read X book for a book club, the reader [of sorts] would never have picked it up in the first place. The complaints strike me as beyond petty, consisting of complaints about the detailed research, about the character of the map thief himself, that it is just about old maps and boring. This is a book that is anything but boring. It is a book about how an individual justifies stepping outside his personal ethics, principles to become unethical, a thief who causes, as thieves always do, havoc and repercussions well beyond the theft itself. As long as this book is not treated as an assignment, it is one that the curious reader can take in and learn from, whether about cartography or flawed character. It's that well-written a book.

I actually thought I had read this already but realized that was The Island Of Lost Maps by Miles Harvey I had read once I saw it referenced in the text. Similar storylines in that both books are about map thieves and take you deep into the weird and wild world of map collecting and the cartographic archives at libraries where thieves prey on the unprepared.

The book is about one thief, E. Forbes Smiley III. No, you can't make up a name like that nor can you make up this much larger than life character and his tale of crime.

As a geographer, I'm fascinated by maps anyway but also to learn why and how people get into very niche areas of collecting old maps. The way history literally unfolds via how maps evolve is another story worth telling, but the thievery and lack of transparency in much of this niche part of the collectibles' world would even dumbfound art thieves. The amounts of money people pay for maps is also jaw dropping given I found most of these maps less than beautiful artistically. Historically significant but attempts at "art" in their drawing only makes me wonder, how the heck did people read these maps in the Age Of Exploration let alone the Colonial Age?

I won't give away any of the plot, but the book is obviously written because the thief got caught. Even though you know the end, go along for the ride. You won't be disappointed.

The author never succeeded in his quest for an interview with the thief, so this book is a nothing more than a compendium of interesting notes he acquired in his research. Also, to have any value, this book needs to be read in hard copy.

The classic business edict is to buy low and sell high. E. Forbes Smiley took that edict to heart in his business as an antique map dealer. Unfortunately, he discovered he could get his cost close to $0 if he stole his inventory. Michael Blanding captures the story of Mr. Smiley and the world of antique maps in The Map Thief.

It turns out that valuable maps are much easier to steal than art. Works of art are generally one-of-a-kind pieces that hang in museums where everyone knows where they are. It’s hard for thieves to break and in and steal one. It’s even harder to try and sell the unique, identifiable, and now-known as stolen item.

In contrast, rare maps may be printed in thousands of copies, of which some unknown quantity may have survived over the centuries. They are rare, but not necessarily unique.

It also turns out that libraries are chock full of old map collections and atlases that are poorly cataloged, poorly tracked, and poorly monitored. Mr. Smiley discovered that he could greatly increase his profits by attacking one of these libraries. He would pocket a map from a messy collection or tear maps from their bindings in atlases.

One of Mr. Smiley’s client was Norman Leventhal, the patriarch of the firm that employees me. The walls of my offices are adorned with part of his collection.

You can see the lack of controls at the libraries. One result of Mr. Smiley’s capture was an increased emphasis on libraries tracking their map collections. Mr. Smiley was not the only thief among map dealers.

The one weakness in the book is what made Mr. Smiley turn from respectable map dealer to thief. There is some discussion of his finances and a possible need to for more cash. There is also an implication that felt left out when one of clients made a large donation to a library. Mr. Smiley thought he was entitled to more. But it seems like the thievery started before then.

In the end we just don’t know what caused him to step over the line.

Obsession, money, and maps -- this book has it all. The Map Thief is a quick read about one of the more notorious cases of antiquities theft in recent decades. It's one part history of cartography (a very engaging popular account), one part true crime expose. The latter wasn't as fascinating as the former (spoiler: the thief in question did it for the money, or so it seems). But it was interesting to contemplate the thief's many capers and his motives. In my view, he got off with way too light a sentence. The very notion that anyone would deliberately plunder antique books for their saleable contents, defacing these marvels of publishing history and history of science -- delicate remnants of the world's cultural patrimony -- is outrageous. Blanding assembles a fascinating set of facts in this book, and tells his tale with gusto. Excellent read!

Encouraged by his father to place value on education, E. Forbes Smiley III did precisely that, taking advantage of his intellectual gifts to their fullest extent in the pursuit of underhanded purposes. One almost comes to admire the level of genius involved in his ability to recognize the most minute details of the same map to better swindle his illustrious buyers... almost. The story of his exploits were presented in such an engaging manner, interspersed with the events leading up to his arrest, that Smiley becomes something of an anti-hero who continues to lead himself astray.

Of further interest was the emphasis placed on the historical maps themselves - their complete history from inception to restoration - and of the prestigious private collectors and institutions that were swindled in the process. Admittedly, I found the sections devoted to cartography more illuminating than the chapters that dealt directly with Smiley's trial, as I felt the book began to lose steam in places at its conclusion. The historical insight is what initially piqued my interest, and carried it throughout the telling.

For a blend of true crime that comes across like a spy thriller to an exhaustive overview of mapmakers and their trade as it fared in the late Middle Ages to early 18th century, this was a well put together, compelling read. And as befitting the man's life, with the epilogue Mr Blanding presents us with another minor mystery, and makes us once again almost admire the audacity of the map thief.

The mark of an intriguing non fiction book is does it provoke me to investigate aspects it presented. This book certainly stimulated me to read further about the maps, their history, and their creators. It is a masterful work.

The rationalization of the map thief (Smiley) for the thievery is well presented, as is the passivity of the institutions who saught to avoid scandal. It is astounding that these libraries devoted so little to properly document and protect the valuable maps/ books bequeathed/entrusted to them.

This did not live up to expectations. The story revolves around Forbes Smiley a respected map dealer who became a map thief. There was a lot of history on mapmaking which was well researched, but often I got the impression I was hearing a list of maps instead of a cohesive story. Smiley himself was painted in an overly favorable light. The author makes him out as an idealist gone bad opposed to simply being a criminal. The author clearly saw him as a likeable figure and tried to make this come thru in spite of obvious examples of him being not so likeable. He was more of a narcissist than anything else and the author does not acknowldege this at all. This is reminiscent of The Man Who Loved Books Too Much, but that was a more compelling story. There is a distinct lack of action throughout this that made me question why I even bothered reading it in the first place.

This book goes back and forth between the Smiley story and the history of maps. It also shows how careless most libraries used to be in supervising maps. Almost as if they tried to tempt every person who handled them. I bought the book mostly because I wanted to understand how a highly intelligent, scholarly, gregarious man could become a threat to what he revered the most--old maps. It was money, of course, but not greed. Greed is what motivates another dealer, Arader, who never stole a map, but whose entire life is centered around money. On the other hand, Smiley is a tragic hero, much more complex, and surprisingly enough, more likable. You want to see him redeem himself, and in the end, he partially does. I was left with a feeling of sadness that a man with so much potential had gone to the dark side.

In his introduction to the book The Map Thief author Michael Blanding writes, "Maps have long exerted a special fascination on viewers-both as beautiful works of art and as practical tools to navigate the world." What he forgets to mention is that they can also be snapshots in history. For me, they are all of the above, so a book centered around historical maps seemed a natural. Add to that my fascination with true crime accounts, and it is no wonder that I jumped at the chance to read and review this book.

The Map Thief is Blandings account of the E. Forbes Smiley case, Smiley was a respected dealer in antiquarian maps who ended up in over his head and began stealing rare and famous maps from Universities and selling them on the market as new finds until he was caught red-handed cutting a map from a book in the Yale University antique map room. I found the idea that a trusted, well respected member of the exclusive trade in antiquarian maps could take so much advantage of the other players in the industry fascinating. After all, for years E. Forbes Smiley was able to pull the wool over the eyes of top-notch dealers in antique maps and savvy collectors, not to mention the major Universities and Museums that he was able to steal from. I really enjoyed reading about Smiley and his crimes.

For me, though, the best part of the book was the amount of time that Blanding spent explaining the maps that were stolen and their significance. As you might expect from an investigative journalist of his caliber, the discussion of each map was well researched and well written. His ability to highlight the importance of these maps as both historical documents and works of art really drew me in. I learned so much about maps, their uses, the history of map making, and the historical figures behind the maps. I would have loved for this part of the book to never end. Blanding did such a great job with this part of the book that I found myself researching antique maps and the history of map making on my own.

The only place were the book fell short for me was at the end. Throughout the book, there was a lot of discussion of the fact that hundreds more maps were missing that Smiley ever admitted to stealing. I felt it was presented in such a way that a revelation would be forthcoming, but perhaps it was just my reader's wish that there would be a big reveal. At any rate, not only was there no real new information about these missing maps, I felt that Blanding really glassed over this portion of the story. It was almost like he just threw the information into the book at the end and as a result, I thought it detracted from the rest of the book, which was really great. In addition, I found the information that was presented confusing. For me, it would have been better if Blanding had mentioned that many more maps were missing, and the theories by all parties about what might have happened to them, in a short concluding chapter.

All in all, though, this book was really worth the read. The information regarding maps, map making, and map collecting was enough to keep me interested to the very end. Throw in E. Forbes Smiley, his personality, and what he was able to accomplish, and you have a very engaging read. I would highly recommend it to any one with a love of history and a love of true crime stories. Bravo Mr. Blanding!

A heartfelt thanks to both Gotham Publishing and Edelweiss for making this title available to me in exchange for my review.

Remember the days before GPS? Before even mapquest? When you actually had to pick up a map or an atlas to figure out where you were going? Did you ever think about maps much beyond that- a mechanism to get you from "here" to "there"? I hadn't. But reading Michael Blanding's The Map Thief has made me look at maps with an entirely new perspective.

This is compelling non-fiction. Not action packed, and subtle in many of its observations, Blanding manages to portray the very humanness of everyone involved. Equally compelling to the story of Smiley himself is the map collecting subculture and the negative-publicity-adverse museums and libraries who were Smiley's victims.

If you're looking for a read that is a bit off the beaten path, but tells a truly fascinating true story, The Map Thief is one I recommend.

Page turner for the history buff who wants not just what motivated the current "why he did it" crime story, but for so many facts about maps from the middle ages forward. Collectors and researchers wanted the sequential iterations for their chosen location to observe the maps' stories in a time-lapsed view of the development of the geographic area. Also there were interesting observations on how the whole world was viewed based on explorers' reports and observations on how the world could be portrayed in 2-D. Destruction of the atlases and permanent map losses were tragic. The upside was the improved security, and a tale told for those of us who would never would have thought about the potential of map research and collecting at this scale.

The Map Thief is creative non-fiction at its best. By creative, I mean in style & depth; MB takes us on "flights of history" with regard to antique maps and the collectors and dealers between whom large sums regularly change hands. He opens up and illustrates a little-known world of ancient and modern history, which livens up the central plot of a respected, self-educated man's fall from grace.

While reading TMT, I remembered several persons I have known (one in my own extended family) who possessed some of TMT's
persuasive attributes and used them to exploit others for selfish reasons, but at nowhere near the scale at which TMT succeeded.
This is a story of how the worship of material wealth and an arrogant sense of entitlement can corrupt. MB's narrative is so well-balanced you will find yourself both disgusted by TMT's crimes and begrudgingly admiring of his cleverness. A rewarding read!

The Map Thief is equal parts character study and history - - we learn as much about the famed and not-so-famous mapmakers of the fifteenth through nineteenth centuries as we do about the twentieth-century man who stole their work from museums and libraries, irreparably damaging and in some cases utterly destroying invaluable works of cultural and political history. What brought Forbes Smiley, a prominent map dealer, to these acts of larceny and betrayal is the overarching story Michael Blanding tells in this book, but it's counterpointed by brief biographies of mapmakers across Europe and in the English Colonies. Those biographies segue into the stories of how the world's geography has been conceived, represented, and portrayed over time, whether for religious, political, or scientific purposes. Each chapter opens with a greyscale reproduction of a significant map, and Blanding has also included a color section of plates that gives readers a tiny, tantalizing taste of the beauty and historical value of these works.

Perhaps the most valuable part of the book is the appendix at the end listing the maps reported as missing by libraries and museums that have not yet been recovered. This list should be required for all collectors and dealers in maps and rare books. Without their active participation and cooperation, these precious works will never be recovered and returned to the institutions best able to maintain them and keep them available for generations of scholars and students, whether amateur or professional.

Were it not for the incredible value of that appendix, I'd give the book four rather than five stars because it sufffers from the same lightweight prose and artificial hooks that seem endemic to so much popular history these days ("For all the ease with which he stole the maps, however, he was mistaken in thinking that no one noticed"). There are also some silly editorial oversights scattered throughout (for example, a section heading that reads "2300 BC-1670" but is immediately followed by a sentence describing the 2013 Miami International Map Fair). These things detracted from my reading experience, but they don't detract from the substance of the book. And in this particular case, the importance of the substance far outweighs the importance of the prose.

My first interest in this book came because I grew up in a town near Smiley's summer home in Sebec Village. The overview of some of the politics of Sebec Village and Smiley's time there was interesting on a personal level. However, the thing that impressed me most about the book was the very thorough research that the author did about the rare/antique map trade. Blanding wove a lot of history of the development of cartography and the men and countries that contributed to the exploration and recording of the western world. There is a lot of history here that gave me an appreciation of a field I knew little about. All in all this is a well written and interesting book and I recommend it highly!

The Map Thief by Michael Blanding is a very highly recommended nonfiction account of a map dealer who stole hundreds of antique maps from collections, as well as a history lesson about some of the maps he stole.

You don't have to love old maps to fully appreciate The Map Thief: The Gripping Story of an Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps by Michael Blanding, but it helps if you at least appreciate them and enjoy reading about the history behind the creation of some of the maps.

E. Forbes Smiley III was an antiquarian map dealer who was also a thief. He stole an unknown quantity of maps, perhaps over 200, from libraries and collections, and then sold these public treasures in order to finance his lifestyle. Since the number of actual rare maps Smiley stole is unknown (although a list of known stolen maps from around the world is included), it is difficult to put a total price on what he stole but it was certainly in the millions.

Blanding interviewed Smiley at the beginning of the book, but later Smiley tried to distance himself from the publishing of this book. At that point Blanding had already been talking to "a wider circle of people, investigating a paper trail of court documents, and spending hours sifting through library archives and volumes of old maps." With or without Smiley's further cooperation, Blandings began to piece together "an answer to my biggest question: Why did a respected map dealer at the height of his profession betray those closest to him—and deface the artifacts he spent his life preserving? The more I researched his story, however, the more questions I uncovered—to the point where I began to suspect that his reasons for cutting off our correspondence had less to do with the advice of his advisor or the impact on his family, and more to do with his own fears of exposing secrets he has never revealed."

Since Blanding also has a love of old and rare maps he is a good author to tell this story which involves the history of the maps themselves and the intrigue of Smiley's prolonged theft of so many maps over several years. Blanding writes, "I read about him in The New Yorker in October 2005 with fascination—first, for the maps themselves, these historical documents that were at once beautiful and flawed, and second, for this strange character at the center of the crime, so mysterious in his decision to despoil the world he loved."

After the news of Smiley's arrest for stealing maps broke and the word was out to curators, "One by one, they began to call with panicked reports of maps missing from books in their collections as well. As they did, more questions began to reverberate through the insular world of map libraries, collectors, and dealers: Why had a respected and successful antiquarian dealer turned against those who trusted him and stolen the things he loved most? And how long had he been getting away with it?"

This fascinating book not only covers the deeply flawed and contradictory personality of Smiley and his lifestyle, it also does an excellent job explaining the history, provenance, and importance of various maps and precisely why they are so valuable. He talks to other map dealers, clients, and curators. The book includes an 8 page color insert and black and white photos throughout, chapter notes, and an index. As mentioned, there is a list of all the maps that are known to be missing from libraries and public collections worldwide.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Gotham Books for review purposes.

The Map Thief explores the thefts of map dealer E. Forbes Smiley III with a heavy dose of map-making history. I had a sense of déjà vu when beginning this novel, having read The Island of Lost Maps by Miles Harvey many years ago, which tells the story of another map thief (although one less prolific than Smiley). Both received shockingly short sentences for their crimes. This book would have definite appeal to those who have an interest in maps (especially of New England) or the history of exploration; it is lighter on the criminal elements. Though well researched and written, this book failed to capture my attention. Smiley's story was less interesting than the history of the maps themselves. I should note that I read this book on my Kindle, and I think the reading experience would be improved by seeing the maps in the printed version.

The best history books are more than history -- in the best, you also learn something new and, often, there is mystery and intrigue. The Map Thief by Michael Blanding has all of that. A fast-paced book (read the first chapter and see), The Map Thief tells the story of E. Forbes Smiley, a rare map dealer who turns crooked, secretly stealing centuries-old maps from some of the most famous libraries in America and then selling them for profit. Unlike classic paintings and other rare art, often there are half a dozen or more copies of rare maps in existence -- which fuels an expensive but active community of dealers and collectors. This well-written, compelling story provides a fascinating new look into the history of maps and map-making, the world of rare map collectors and dealers, and the crime-solving techniques used by the police and FBI to track down Smiley's thefts (there really are such things as “bookworms” and they prove more important than you’d ever guess).

I love reading non-fiction, but sometimes you come across a book that has a really great story, but isn't written in an exciting way. That's what happened with The Map Thief. The story of Smiley's career as a map dealer (and thief) could be something out of a thriller, but Blanding writes it more like a court document and newspaper editorial.

This is a well written and apparently thoroughly researched book about a the true story of a man's rise and fall in the world of rare map dealers. At times we love E. Forbes Smiley III for his generosity, and his forward thinking, and his vision for an ideal society. Then there are the times we despise him for his dishonesty, for his defacing of priceless volumes, and his weaselly ways. Eventually, he gets what he deserves, but when one man goes down, many innocent people are affected. This was a compelling story beautifully told. Strongly recommended for history buffs.

Excellent. For any collector or map enthusiast, this well researched book combines a fast paced detective story with the complexities of the map world. Parts of the book get into detail about cartography and map collecting. You will gain insight about the relationship between map dealers and their clients, including well known institutions. Added features of this book include a images of some of the stolen maps, illustrations of where maps disappeared, and lists of maps which were recovered and those still missing,

So, this dude named Forbes Smiley (his real name, not a moniker adopted to better serve his dastardly doings) got into rare maps. He’s a gregarious eccentric oddball who frequently bounces checks, but he’s so super knowledgeable about maps and their history that he’s forgiven a multitude of sins… Until it comes to light that he’s stealing his inventory of rare maps from libraries and selling them to maintain a super lavish lifestyle. The book follows the life of the mysterious Forbes Smiley through his rise and fall.

It also gives all kinds of cool background information on maps. I never really considered the historical significance of maps, other than to marvel at their inaccuracy, but there’s so much more to them. You can trace the history of a particular region based on maps throughout the years. You can peek into disputed territories, get a feel for Colonialism, and explore the political implications of the time. The names of places change. If I may quote They Might Be Giants, “Even old New York was once New Amsterdam. Why they changed it I can’t say, people just liked it better that way.” Except that if you study maps, you CAN say, because the English seized it from the Dutch (who no doubt, uh, borrowed it from the indigenous population.)

This book offered a very cool glimpse into the world of rare maps as well as into the mind of a fascinatingly sketchy character. If you have any interest in maps, heists, or potential super villains, I recommend reading The Map Thief!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher*

A pleasant read for map collectors and security professionals. The perpetrator, Forbes Smiley is a likeable cad. However, after he was arrested, did he really tell all he knew? The reader can decide.

Thoroughly enjoyed premise and historical background on the developments of mapping. Story left a lot of holes, such as explaining how so many $ were amassed and then went out so quickly (where did he get that much cash). And where was his wife all this time?

I listened to this book while cleaning out my garden, all sticky with tomato juice and potato beetle guts, and loved it. Just loved it. I'm giving a copy to my mom, who has always been a lover of maps.

I listened to this book while cleaning out my garden, all sticky with tomato juice and potato beetle guts, and loved it. Just loved it. I'm giving a copy to my mom, who has always been a lover of maps.

Michael Blanding padded the book with lots of excellent history/backstory. I found this book very interesting especially if you are fascinated with history and intrigued with criminal thinking and criminal acts. I was appalled at some of the activities mentioned in this book regarding the treatment of old books.

A compelling story that is well told. I recall only vaguely hearing about the news of these thefts years ago. The Map Thief brought it all back to life in a way that, once you started to read, it was very difficult to put the book down.

I thought that the book would be interesting, but it was not. The maps are described in excruciating detail. And, the author does not bring Smiley to life. With the exception of a few interesting tid bits about the world of rare map collecting, the book is BORING!