Nonfiction Book Club

Join fellow readers at the library for an engaging discussion of The Art Thief  by Michael Finkel on Thursday February 8th at 1:30 p.m.

For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stephane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than two hundred heists over nearly ten years -in museums and cathedrals all over Europe- Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than three hundred objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion. In The Art Thief, Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwieser's strange and fascinating world. Unlike most thieves, he never stole for money, keeping all his treasures in a single room where he could admire them to his heart's content. Possessed of a remarkable athleticism and an innate ability to assess practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtakingly number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addict's need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriend's pleas to stop-until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down.

Copies of the book are available on Libby and may also be reserved for pickup at the library.