A major theft from the University of Warsaw Library reveals that large-scale library theft is not limited to America and Western Europe. This one followed an increasingly common method of throwing off librarians from picking up the trail. The thief or thieves replaced the missing books with dummies. In this case, it was not as sophisticated as the almost identical substitutes that have been discovered replacing Columbus letters, copies so good it took years before anyone realized they were fakes. This time, the thief simply placed dummy bindings on the shelves to cover up the fact that volumes were missing.
The theft came to light on October 23. It was determined that an unknown man and woman took out ten books but returned only two. All were Russian books, printed in Cyrillic. They dated from 1827-1842. These eight missing books have been valued at at least $50,000. The theft was immediately reported to the police.
Subsequent searching revealed that many other books were also missing. It is believed about 80 volumes were removed and replaced by fakes. The estimated value has now risen to €500,000 or $535,000. Others were taken earlier, sometime over the past year. Some have already been sold at auction. One was a Pushkin first edition which sold for €30,500 (US $32,000). The director of the library, Anna Wolodka, was dismissed for negligence, despite many years of service at the library.
Ms. Wolodka appealed her dismissal, noting she immediately informed authorities when she learned of the theft. However, the university's rector stated that she had been informed last year that an individual who stole books from a Latvian library had visited the premises. Ms. Wolodka responded that she was not so informed. In as terse statement on their website, the Warsaw University library announced “Please note that due to the need to introduce provisions in the regulations to increase the security of historical collections, access to the resources of the 19th century Collections Cabinet is suspended until further notice.”
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Sotheby’s Bibliotheca Brookeriana: A Renaissance Library. The Aldine Collection D-M 18 October 2024
Sotheby’s, Oct. 18: Herodianus Syrus, Herodiani Historiarum, Venice, Heirs of Aldo & Torresano, 1524, Parisian binding for Jean Grolier by Jean Picard, ca. 1540
Sotheby’s, Oct. 18: Musaeus, Opusculum de Herone et Leandro, Venice, Aldo, 1495 (Greek text), interleaved with 1497–1498 (Latin text), English olive morocco by Charles Lewis, the Botfield copy
Sotheby’s, Oct. 18: Horatius Flaccus, Horatius, Venice, Aldo, 1501, Bolognese brown goatskin (between 1501 and 1503), arms of Mino Rossi and illuminated initials throughout
Sotheby’s, Oct. 18: Lucretius, De rerum natura, Venice, Aldo, 1500, English early eighteenth-century red morocco, the Fletcher copy
One of a Kind Collectibles Auctions Rare Autograph and Book Auction October 17th, 2024
One of a Kind Collectibles, Oct. 17: Abraham Lincoln Signed Letter on Executive Mansion Stationary To Secretary of The Navy re: Appointment for Naval Academy!
One of a Kind Collectibles, Oct. 17: Extremely Rare Ben Franklin Printed: Considerations on Keeping Negroes...Part Second. 1762.
One of a Kind Collectibles, Oct. 17: An impressively extra-illustrated copy; Including an Original leaf from Shakespeare’s 1623 First Folio!
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One of a Kind Collectibles, Oct. 17: Rarest Naval Autograph James Lawrence “Don’t give up the ship On " U.S. Ship Hornet June 19th 1812.
One of a Kind Collectibles, Oct. 17: Oversize Ernest Hemingway Signed Photo with long Inscription about Drinking Wine to his dear friend and Secretary Roberto Herrera.
One of a Kind Collectibles, Oct. 17: VOLTAIRE Signed Receipt about a partial payment of debt for the Duke of Wuerttemberg.
One of a Kind Collectibles Auctions Rare Autograph and Book Auction October 17th, 2024
One of a Kind Collectibles, Oct. 17: [Maps] Gio. Ant. Magnini, Italia, 1620.
One of a Kind Collectibles, Oct. 17: LAWMAN SALOON JUDGE ROY BEAN Signed Legal Document 1895-RARE!
One of a Kind Collectibles, Oct. 17: Autograph Album with James Garfield as President, Chester A. Aurthur as VP, William T. Sherman, Burnside, P.T. Barnum and many more!
One of a Kind Collectibles Auctions Rare Autograph and Book Auction October 17th, 2024
One of a Kind Collectibles, Oct. 17: Thomas Jefferson and James Madison Signed Four Language Ship's Paper.
One of a Kind Collectibles, Oct. 17: Hector Berlioz Autograph Musical Quotation Signed.
One of a Kind Collectibles, Oct. 17: Important Memorandum the Day after Gettysburg July 5th, 1863 where Lincoln asks all Department Heads of the cabinet to meet him at the Executive Mansion.
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