There was a time when wealthy men saw books as a measure of their success. Their homes often included an impressive library with hundreds, if not thousands, of books. Andrew Carnegie was one of those men. He is known for the public libraries he created, but his own personal library included rare books, especially books printed during the 15th century, the first century of printing with "movable type." Such books are rarely stolen, since their rarity makes them immediately recognizable to reputable book dealers and knowledgeable collectors.
The Carnegie Library has such books, as well as other valuable books and old maps so well known that they would be quickly recognized. Such books require care, and when the Carnegie Library Officials decided to hire a person capable of protecting their rare books, they were grateful to have such a man already in their employ. He was made responsible for the Oliver Room Collection, working with a preservation specialist to make sure the climate control and proper shelving, to avoid the leaching that wooden shelving can cause, were installed. For years, all seemed well.
In 2016 library officials decided it was time to audit the collection, which led to the dreadful discovery that the man paid to protect the valuable collection was a thief, working with a man thought to be a respectable book dealer. These men knew that the books themselves were too well known to be sold, so they cut individual pages from the books to sell. Because these books were so valuable, as well as being heavy, they were kept on the top shelves for safety, almost never viewed, their thick book covers concealing the missing pages. To further conceal the identity of the books, the dishonest book dealer stamped some of the books "Withdrawn from Library."
When the thieves were discovered, attempts were made to find innocent purchasers to ask if they would return the stolen pages and books. The destruction and disappearances were nearly impossible to make right. The value of the lost and destroyed books were estimated to be more than $8 million, but the irreplaceable value was impossible to determine. Unfortunately, the judge who heard the case did not seem to consider the historic, irreplaceable damage of the thefts, ordering only house arrest and probation as punishment for what the men had done. Furthermore, the Judge seemed not to take into account the damage to the reputation of the Carnegie Library, including possible reluctance of future donations to the library collection. Perhaps the laws did not provide the judge the true legal punishment adequate for the crime.
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A Different case also caught my eye. Since 2022, soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, Russian rare books have been stolen from libraries in Estonia, Latvia, Berlin, Bavaria, Germany, Finland, and France. The thieves pretend to be researching Russian books, sometimes returning over several days, and then taking the actual books but replacing them with sophisticated reproductions that only experts could distinguish from the originals. Books by Pushkin are particular favorites. There is a thriving market in Russia for books by Pushkin, a revered author. Some suggest that the thefts might be sanctioned to bring Russian Treasures home.
I find it ironic that new book sales in America are declining, while there is a market for stolen books from the past.
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