Cover ArtThe fascinating true story of a young, promising flautist, Edwin Rist, who made the ill-conceived decision to commit one of the most intriguing and destructive burglaries in modern history. The author, journalist Kirk Wallace Johnson, heard about this "Feather Thief" while fly-fishing in New Mexico and was consumed by the need to find out the truth of what happened. Even though the case was closed, he felt compelled to reopen the investigation.
 
In 2009, after performing a concert, Edwin, a 20-yr old American, driven by the need for money to complete his schooling at London's Royal Academy of Music and get a high quality flute (which can run up to $80,000), took a night train to the Tring Museum and caused the destruction of something that was priceless to the study of earth science and nature...and to fly-fishing enthusiasts everywhere.
 
A champion fly-tier in his own right, Edwin was obsessed with the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. The most valuable and artistic flies are made from feathers of the most exotic and rare bird species to inhabit the planet--many of which are now completely illegal to hunt and gather. This in turn makes them extremely hard find and exorbitantly expensive. Traditionally, the only way to find them was to diligently canvass estate sales for Victorian women's clothing and hats. Through planning and deception, Edwin discovered this treasure trove that had been collected by such naturalists as Alfred Russel Wallace and other contemporaries of Charles Darwin. Additionally, he found that security at this museum was, shall we say, not state-of-the-art. It was the perfect target.

While I am not a fly-fisher myself, my husband and I are avid fisherfolk and know a bit about fly-tying. But we had no idea how obsessive and fanatical the fly-tying community can be. It was enlightening, the history of how these feathers were collected during the lifelong studies of 19th century naturalists and how women's fashion influences since the days of Marie Antoinette were instrumental in the hunting and near extinction of various species. Women, though they didn't even have the right to vote at the time, saw the need to end the wanton destruction of these beautiful and rare birds by making them "out-of-fashion." Being a supporter for preserving rare species, I felt a deep ache that these animals were destroyed to satisfy such fruitless obsession. On the other hand, due to the compulsion of those men who risked their lives and livelihoods to gather these fine birds in the name of science over 150 years ago, I also feel what a waste it is to have lost something that was so instrumental to our understanding of the natural world today and for our future scientific efforts.

Publisher's description:

On a cool June evening in 2009, twenty-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist grabbed hundreds of bird skins - some collected 150 years earlier - and escaped into the darkness. Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? This is the gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice

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