Throughout the movie American Animals , we see the retelling of true events in which four college students attempt to rob rare books from a university library. Thanks to behind-the-scenes consultants, the movie includes authentic details when it comes to rare books and their selling. The audience gets to see and hear about rare books, such as a first edition Audubon’s Birds of America and Darwin’s Origin of Species . We got to see how Audubon drew the birds in large paper size and format, making for an awfully large binding and finish. However, the beautifully detailed animals make the unique sizing worth it. When Darwin’s book was presented, it was specifically pointed out that on line ten of a certain page the word “species” was actually misspelled. Sometimes it is these imperfections that make books and other objects so rare making it a simple but interesting fact to include in the movie. Another example of these minor details included is the fact that the librarian mentions that guests must have gloves on at all times. While this may have been implemented to protect the pages from greases and dirt on the hand, this is actually a myth! Many collectors and conservationists believe that it is better to wash and completely dry your hands when handling a book. While there are situations that require gloves, it is generally considered dangerous as it leads to page tearing and can carry far more dirt than the human hand.

The movie also demonstrates steps of the actual book selling process with the group of students heading to New York for authentication. Interestingly enough, the students needed the books they were able to steal to be authenticated for the “fences” (buyers of stolen items) to take it off their hands, thus, showing how important authentication is in the world of bibliography despite the means of how the book/art was procured. The authenticator makes it a point to ask the college students for documentation of ancestry when they say their books are passed down in the family. Although the whole process is not shown, we can still see what it takes to make sure that a book is truly rare. American Animals does a great job as a film in briefly showcasing the world of bibliography.

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