Michael Blanding. The Map Thief: The Gripping Story of an Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps. New York: Gotham Books, 2014. xvi, [ii], [1], 300 p. ISBN: 978-1592408177. $27.50

Abstract

The Map Thief by Michael Blanding is an informative account of the life and crimes of E. Forbes Smiley III, a well-known antiquarian map dealer who stole rare and valuable maps from institutions for several years, selling the materials to other map dealers and directly to private collectors. Apprehended at Yale University in 2005, Smiley eventually confessed to stealing 97 maps valued at over $3,000,000 from six libraries, agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, and was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison. He was released in January 2010.

Blanding, a journalist based in Boston, has published articles in regional, national . . .