The national book awardwinning novelist was already working on a book of advice for his grandson before the pandemic. New movie revisits the transy book heist hamburg journal. If you have subscribed through one of our partners, please contact customer care. Told from first hand experience, the story follows the author, chas allen, as he and a mismatch of friends revel in an outward appearance of parties and excess on a. On the morning of december 17, 2004, betty jean gooch, a librarian in the special collections library at transylvania university, in lexington, kentucky, was.
Warren lipka gave an interview to vanity fair about his role. American animals is a book unlike any ive ever read. Vanity fair entertainment, politics, and fashion news. To deal with that, the movie tells scenes from different viewpoints, depending on whose memory is dictating the narrative. Directed by bart layton, the film is based on a 2015 vanity fair article detailing the heist, which occurred in 2004 and left a librarian injured. The twist and turns and audacity can lend themselves to incredulity, but at the heart of this book is a humanness that even those shaking their heads the most will have to recognize. The raid was also known as the transy book heist image. By joshua caudill you cant just drop in on the farris rare book room at transylvania university. April, 2018 four teenagers stole rare books from a university library in 2004, and now their heist is being made into a movie by peter clark. Vanity fairtransylvania heist i keep trying to let my subscription to vanity fair run out, but they keep sending it, which is fine, because, it really contains some entertaining and sometimes even informative stories when you have time to read it. Light fingers another rare book heist happened this year.
I got the december issue last week and found this wonderful article on a theft of some rare. Four students stole priceless books from transylvania university. A window into the lucrative world of rare book heists the independent. Spencer thinks that if he watches enough videos of cinematic capers, he can pull off robbing audobons book. The librarian who was stunned and tied up is now talking for the first time to our partners at the. Mr pink the inside story of the transylvania book heist paperback 2010. Ultimately, the transy book heist crew found salvation through self destruction. A window into the lucrative world of rare book heists.
This entry was posted in books, coming attractions, movies, video and tagged american animals, ann dowd, barry keoghan, evan peters, john falk, special collections library, transy book heist, transylvania university, vanity fair on 29 may 2018 by bcarter3. American animals, written and directed by bart layton, is an electrified retelling of the transy book heist, parttrue crime drama and partparable about the unique sense of invulnerability. American animal imprisoned for stealing book turns over. The shocking theft of the mona lisa, in august 1911, appeared to have been solved 28 months later, when the painting was recovered. Rather, its the story of a botched art heist carried out by amateurs and its based on a completely.
American animals is inspired by this botched art heist. In this amazing true story, four college students of privilege and promise become unlikely criminals. The new film american animals is not your typical heist movie. Librarian talks about transylvania heist, american animals movie. You cant just drop in on the farris rare book room at transylvania. American animals could change how we tell true crime stories salon talks to evan peters about the process of filming reenactments of the insane, idiotic transy book heist shares. A spread from the december 2007 issue of vanity fair. That article isnt available online, but massey provides a summary and some very noteworthy outside comments.
Do not sell my personal information vanity fair may earn a portion. The untold story of the transy book heist vanity fair. Darwins on the origin of species, and editions of james audubons, birds of america valued at 12 million dollars were stolen from transylvania universitys rare book collection. The edition of vanity fair magazine, that went on sale tuesday, tells about a rare book heist at transylvania university. At the time, lipka was doing seven years of hard time for his role in the theft of valuable books and art from transylvania university a misbegotten heist that is now the subject of the film american animals, starring american horror storys evan peters as lipka and dunkirks barry keoghan as one of his coconspirators. Four teenagers stole rare books from a university library in 2004.
By discussing this existential journey they set out on nearly 15 years ago for an audience, theyre making their peace with their own kind of graduation day. The official trailer for the new movie american animals just released today, depicting the dramatization of the infamous transylvania book heist that took place 14 years ago. On the morning of december 17, 2004, betty jean gooch, a librarian in the special collections library at transylvania university, in lexington. They stole a rare original copy of darwins on the origin of species from a college library in. The cast of bart laytons new heist flick gathered to gaze upon a rare copy of the birds of america, which will soon be up for auctionthe same book their characters steal in the film. Eric borsuk and chas allen was the subject of a lengthy 2007 vanity fair article that layton came across. And thats because, unlike most heist movies, american animals is based on a true story about four college kids who set out to steal a universitys priceless book collection. She was the victim of one of lexingtons most notorious crimes, the transylvania book heist. According to an expose published in vanity fair in 2004, the friends.
But what makes a heist movie fun is that its robbers are punching up, not down. Mr pink the inside story of the transylvania book heist. Photos of the real american animals guys compared to the. The year was 2004, the state was kentucky, the criminals were four collegeaged white teens, and their mark was a rare book at a local college library. The vanity fair piece notwithstanding, postprison lipka is. A brief history of 7 book heists bookstr book news. Going into prison as boys, they came out redeemed men with a new chance and a new perspective. Behind the multimillion dollar book theft at transylvania. Secret scandals in lexington, kentucky mariapienkowski. The transy book heist the incident, known as the transy book heist, is the subject of the 2018 film american animals and this article in vanity fair, which says the incident was a crime that would one day be listed among the f. Transy book heist more songs about buildings and food. The movie tells the story of the 2004 transylvania university rare book heist. American animals, a heist movie that lands in theaters in june, is not one of those movies. We all love a heist movie, american animals director bart layton.
Speaking of heist movies, american animals is packaged as genre kin to films like oceans 11 and rififi. Victim of 2004 transy book heist talking for the first time. Four teenagers stole rare books from a university library in 2004, and now their. In 2004, four middleclass college boys walked into a library, dressed as. This article on the transylvania university rarebook robbery, by reporter sarah vos, originally ran in the lexington heraldleader on sunday. Secret scandals of elite prep schools and college clubs.
Delano massey reports in todays lexington heraldleader that three of the four men convicted of assaulting a librarian and stealing rare books from transylvania university three years ago have been interviewed for a december vanity fair article, majoring in crime. Now, they did mug a librarian, and this sort of theivery is by no means an honorable thing, but i was quite impressed by their ambition and that fact that they really almost succeeded. No spoilers but got spoilers if you want them in 2007, four years after the event, john falk wrote an article about the plot called majoring in crime for vanity fair. One of lexingtons best known crimes in recent years will be told nationwide. Mr pink the inside story of the transylvania book heist chas allen on. The temple grad who tried and failed to mastermind a.
See all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. The story is written from allens point of view, taking the readers through the reasoning and plot behind the heist. American animals could change how we tell true crime. New york auction house, a minivan, and a longform profile in vanity fair. Four teenagers stole rare books from a university library. The origins of the transy book heist remain somewhat murky. American animals is inspired by this botched art heist refinery29. In an excerpt from their new book, the authors suggest that the audacious heist concealed a perfectand far more lucrativecrime.
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