Book: The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century, by Kirk Wallace Johnson

In The Feather Thief, author Kirk Wallace Johnson chronicles the fascinating true crime story of Edwin Rist, a salmon fly-tying hobbyist, and his obsessive pursuit of rare and extinct bird feathers to sell to fellow enthusiasts. The result of Rist’s greed was the plundering of the British Natural History Museum at Tring, a stronghold of 750,000 bird specimens representing 95% of the world’s bird species, both living and extinct. In this program, we’ll discuss the book and meet live animals related to the topic. Light refreshments will be provided.