INTERN was interested (and dismayed) to read that festive holiday book theft is up this year. Favorite steals? The bible, anything that says "staff pick," and books by Martin Amis. Read all about it here.
And for you readers over the pond, consider this list of top ten stolen books in the UK (from Times Online)
Ten most stolen from UK shops
1. London A-Zs:
London Street Atlas
by Geographers' A-Z Map Co. Paperback, £4.35
2. Ordnance Survey maps:
Exmoor Explorer Map
by Ordnance Survey. Paperback, £5.99
3. Terry Pratchett novels:
The Colour of Magic
by Terry Pratchett. Paperback. £5.44
4. Harry Potter books: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J.K. Rowling.
Hardback children's edition, £10.43
5. Lonely Planet travel guides:
Great Britain - a Lonely Planet Country Guide by David Else. Paperback, £11.49
6. The Lord of the Rings trilogy:
Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary Edition by J.R.R. Tolkien. Hardback, £24.50
7. Martina Cole novels:
Faces by Martina Cole. Paperback, £7.59
8. Jacqueline Wilson novels:
Secrets by Jacqueline Wilson. Paperback, £6.49
9. The Oxford English Dictionary:
Oxford Dictionary of English by Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson (editors). Hardback, £22.75
10. The Highway Code:
The Official Highway Code by the Department for Transport and the Driving Standards Agency. Paperback, £1.59
At this rate, INTERN is surprised bookstores haven't introduced bait books the way some cities have bait cars: a prominently displayed "staff pick" copy of The Colour of Magic...with fangs!
That kind of blew my mind that the most stolen book would be The Bible, but it does make an odd kind of sense. Sort of makes me want to leave a Bible in my car with the windows rolled down, just to help somebody out :P.
ReplyDeleteJudging from the first and second most stolen books, maybe the UK needs to work on their signage? Perhaps if there are less people lost, they won't feel the need to steal maps.
ReplyDeleteI can vouch for the Deathly Hallows, as I had that stolen from my store. Sons of Witches. But at least the thieves will rarely get lost. And should be able to spell quite well. Education is a wonderful thing.
ReplyDeleteIntern: The bait book sounds like a plot device that was left out of Harry Potter. Although the mystical creatures text they used somewhere in the middle came close.
ReplyDeleteDon't you think it's sort of funny that half of these are reference books of some sort? Maps, guides, dictionaries...
ReplyDeletePeople are stealing to get smart!
It's pretty pathetic that people are stealing these books, when they can sit in the bookstores and read them for free and some can even be found in libraries... ugh, I hate thieves.
ReplyDeleteWhat Rebecca Knight said...
ReplyDeleteI am vaguely impressed that DEATHLY HALLOWS is able to be stolen. I can barely lift it one-handed. There must be some kind of bag/backpack/shrinkage device going on because an under-the-sweater baby bump/beer gut would have a low success rate.
ReplyDeleteAnd book-stealers go to Hell. It says so in the Bible.
Snarky Agent: that's what trash compacters are for! (portable trash compacters...backpack-sized trash compacters...)
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised The Book Thief didn't make it onto the list.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting...and mind boggling! Would I be flattered if I were Terry Pratchett, JK Rowling, Jacqueline Wilson or Martina Coles?! Maybe not! And the OED would be a tricky one to shove up your jumper! :P
ReplyDeleteThoughts about thieving aside, I find it awesome that someone is swiping the dictionary! Go, word nerds!
ReplyDeleteDo you thinkt he fact several of these were childrens books suggest they are younger readers? Shocked about the bible!
ReplyDeleteKate xx
http://secretofficeconfessions.blogspot.com/
I think I'd be honored if people liked my books enough to risk jail time (or at least stern lectures from the clerks). :)
ReplyDelete