Rare map dealer E. Forbes Smiley III, who stole more than $3 million worth of antique maps before he was caught in 2005, is the subject of a talk by award-winning investigative reporter Michael Blanding at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, in the Avery Hall Bundy Reading Room at Washington State University. A reception will follow.
Blanding published a 2014 nonfiction book, “The Map Thief,” about Smiley’s case and the world of rare map creation, curation and collection. The book was a New York Times bestseller, NPR Book of the Year, New England Society Book Award winner and finalist for the Chautauqua Prize and Massachusetts Book Awards.
He will discuss new information about the case – including some gleaned through the first interview with Smiley – that “paints a psychological portrait of a man driven by desperation to betray his friends and colleagues,” according to the author. He will also talk about the history behind the maps Smiley stole and the continuing implications for library security.
The presentation is sponsored by the Department of English and WSU Libraries. For more information, contact Trevor Bond, tjbond@wsu.edu.
