description The Feather Thief Overview
"The Feather Thief" is a 2018 true-crime book by Kirk Wallace Johnson that investigates a 2009 break-in at the Natural History Museum at Tring in England. The narrative focuses on Edwin Rist, an American flautist and fly-tying enthusiast who stole dozens of rare Victorian-era bird specimens to sell their feathers. Johnson explores the underground community of salmon fly-tying and the scientific significance of the stolen birds, many of which were collected by the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. The book details Johnson's attempts to track down the missing bird skins years after the crime.
help The Feather Thief FAQ
What exactly did Edwin Rist steal in The Feather Thief?
Rist stole hundreds of preserved bird specimens from the Natural History Museum at Tring in 2009. Many came from rare species collected during nineteenth-century scientific expeditions and were valuable to researchers studying evolution and environmental change.
Why did a fly-tier want old museum bird skins?
The Victorian salmon-fly community prizes feathers from brilliantly colored birds for reproducing elaborate historical patterns. Kirk Wallace Johnson shows how rarity, collecting culture, and online sales gave specimens from birds such as the resplendent quetzal an illicit market.
Was Edwin Rist caught after the Tring museum burglary?
Yes. British authorities arrested the American flautist after investigators connected him to the stolen skins, and he pleaded guilty in 2011. The book then follows Johnson's effort to determine what happened to specimens that were never recovered.
Is The Feather Thief mainly a true-crime story or a science book?
It combines both forms. The burglary provides the mystery, but Johnson also explores Alfred Russel Wallace, nineteenth-century natural-history collecting, and the scientific damage caused when specimen labels and skins are separated.
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