Tags: Criminal.
John Charles Gilkey is a prolific book and document thief who has stolen approximately US$200000 worth of rare books and manuscripts. Gilkey used Modern Library’s List of 100 Best Novels as a guide to what items he would steal. His motives for the thefts were personal: he saw an expansive library as a sign of being upper class.Gilkey used bad checks and stolen credit card numbers gained through his employment at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco.