Biblioklept: The English Word for the Book Thief

Contraversial sides of moral issues and books as the objects of desire

Books and theft. Morally, they seem like two opposite poles. It feels very strange when such contradictory things come together, but even though it is difficult for a book-adorer like me, when we manage to view the matter from a distance, we can observe and accept that books are tangible objects after all. They can be moved from place to place, stored, and sometimes even used as bricks to build a house. Then they may well be the subject of a theft.

Biblioklept is the one who steals books. It derives from the Greek words biblio + klept (omania). It’s one of several words about books that prove that we, as book lovers, are not alone. We're dense enough to develop our own lexicon.

Photo by Hayffield L on Unsplash

How would you morally approach a person stealing a book? Stealing is always wrong, but what if the object stolen is a book? What kind of person steals books if not a common thief looking to sell them in bulk?

Imagine if a child who can’t afford a book stole it just because he found it interesting and to read in a corner… Or if he stole a book because he liked it very much and maybe he was too shy to ask the owner… Would you blame him? Most likely, no. You would, at the very least, be more understanding than in any other ordinary theft case. It is undeniably a subject that tests one's moral boundaries. I'm not attempting to romanticize a crime, but rather invite you to consider some matters.

Have you ever attempted to steal a book? I see you responding with a resounding no, or at the very least, I sense a refusal rising from within you. But this is not the case for me. Two books that I took from our company's library and never returned are staring at me from my library. Doesn't not returning a borrowed book make me a book thief even if I didn't knowingly steal it?

Or there are those who borrowed a book from me and did not return it to me. I recall times when I was certain I had a specific book in my library but couldn't find it after hours of searching. These are my friends, whom I love very much, and I don't have the language to call them thieves.

Some concepts leave you in a dilemma, don't they? Stealing is both a crime and a moral mistake. However, our viewpoint can shift depending on who did it and what was stolen. Perhaps this is why no subject in life can be brought to a definite conclusion, and there can always be an exception. And don't the stories and tragedies that form the basis of literature, cinema, theater, and other visual and written arts also feed on this?

With some thought and study, it seems like a good story can come out of book theft. Maybe there is such a story. For example, House of Paper is a worthwhile read about the physical transformation of the book object into an object of desire, the focus of a person's passion. If you have a different suggestion, please share it with me.

---

Thanks for reading!

If you liked it, you could think about sharing it or becoming a supporter by joining "Words of the World" to receive future posts.