2009
{NB. For news about the thefts by Brubaker (Western Washington University, et al.) and Gómez Rivero (Madrid,
National Library), see the headings above. For Forbes Smiley see below for more recent mentions and Reports and news stories for the period up to May 2007}
- < http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10695170 > 'How thieves target rare books' (by Andrew McFarlane in
the BBC News Magazine, 21 July 2010).
Further on the William Jacques case.
He had been in jail before for book theft. 'Between October 1996 and May 1999, he stole about 500 extremely rare
books and pamphlets from Cambridge, the British Library and London Library. Many were then sold on through auction
houses in the UK and abroad, netting him hundreds of thousands of pounds...'
'Many booksellers feel there has historically been a reluctance on the part of libraries
to acknowledge there was a problem, with many fearing adverse publicity. "There were cases where embarrassment
played a part and fear of how donors would react," says [Julian] Rota [President of the Antiquarian Booksellers
Association]. However, he adds that many great research institutions are now much better prepared to tackle theft.
"You don't want to have so much security that people can't get to the books," he says. "But libraries are much more
clued up about theft than certain ones were 20 years ago."'
- <
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jul/20/tome-raider-william-jacques-jailed > ''Tome raider' jailed again for
stealing valuable books' (by Sam Jones in the [London] Guardian, 21 July 2010).
[Excerpts from
the article about the jailing of William Jacques, which includes a photo]: 'A serial book thief who used a Cambridge degree and a tweed jacket as a
"shabby cloak of respectability" to mask his deeds was jailed for three-and-a-half years today for stealing books
worth £40,000 from the Royal Horticultural Society's library. There was, as the prosecution pointed out, little
sophistication in the strategy employed by William Jacques, who had already been given a four-year sentence for
plundering £1m-worth of rare books in the late 1990s. Armed with his scholarly jacket and a pair of glasses, the man
dubbed "tome raider" began frequenting the RHS's Lindley library in Vincent Square, central London, and signing in
under the false name of Santoro. But his regular visits and limited wardrobe soon caught the eye of staff, who grew
suspicious. On one occasion, Southwark crown court heard, the defendant "was seen to place something inside his
jacket and walk away with his left arm stiff against his jacket as if holding something". "It was rather crude,"
noted Gino Connor, prosecuting. "But it was effective."'
'... not only did the [police] find a piece of paper bearing the names of 70 volumes of rare
books, all kept at the library, along with their precise locations, there were also notes on the books' valuations
and whether they included maps and plates that could be removed and sold separately. They then came across a
card for London's Senate House library, also in the name of Santoro...'
'Because he has never revealed his true address, investigators believe he may have stashed
the rare books he stole in a secret location....'
The thief, who failed to pay the £56,327 demanded when he was last before the courts, faces confiscation proceedings
next January. With interest, the amount outstanding now totals £93,000.' On Jacques see also below, 2 February 2009.
- < http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wear-10685237 > 'Durham University's stolen manuscripts appeal'
(BBC News Wear, 19 July 2010).
'Durham University has made a renewed appeal for the return of six
historic books and manuscripts stolen more than 10 years ago. The items, valued at about £160,000, formed part of an
exhibition at the University Library charting the progress of English literature. Also taken during the theft in
1998 was a priceless Shakespeare First Folio. This has now been returned following the conviction of Raymond Scott
for handling stolen property. The 53-year-old, of Wingate in County Durham, was warned he faced jail after being
cleared of stealing the Folio but found guilty of handling stolen goods and removing stolen property from the UK.
Security arrangements at the library at Palace Green have been significantly tightened since the 1998 theft.
The missing documents include a manuscript by the medieval political writer Egidius Romanus, and a volume containing
three works on English history with maps - Michael Drayton's Poly-Olbion (1612); William Slayter's The History of
Great Britanie (1621) and Matthew Stevenson's Florus Britannicus (1662). Dr Sheila Hingley, head of heritage collections at Durham University, said: "The theft of these historic books and
manuscripts was devastating for the university community. "We were all delighted at the return of the Shakespeare First Folio, and we would love to be reunited with the other
missing books and manuscripts which form an important part of the historically significant collections held at the
University." A Durham Police spokeswoman appealed for anyone with information to ring Crimestoppers.'
- Announcement of a meeting on 27 June 2010 in Washington, D.C. 'To Catch a Thief:
Cataloging and the Security of Special Collections' - 2010 Conference Program of ACRL's Rare
Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) at the American Library Association's Annual Conference,
with co-sponsorship by ALCT's CMDS and ALA's MAGERT. "How can libraries fulfill the need to
provide access to their collections while simultaneously protecting them? Can full catalog
records deter theft? How have they been instrumental in identifying and reclaiming stolen
materials? Recognizing ongoing pressures on technical service staff and library administrators
due to budget cutbacks and competing priorities, this program will explore how balancing faster
and cheaper cataloging with sufficiently robust descriptions benefits the security of special
collections in libraries."
- See 'Map Theft Update' and 'Map Thefts in US Libraries', under 'Subject', on the MapHist list in April 2010.
- Are we to look forward to Forbes Smiley on screen - though apparently it may not be
entirely truthful? In an interview with Fred Melamed, who played the manipulative Sy Ableman in the Coen
Brothers’ film 'A Serious Man' (New York Magazine, 21 January 2010 - seen 12 February), he stated the
following:
"... I’m writing a screenplay now, which I’m trying to direct, and it’s about a man who was a
well-known map expert, who was famous for having discovered certain maps, and he was caught stealing from
the Beinecke Library at Yale a few years ago. A guy named Forbes Smiley, he was actually a college
friend of mine. The screenplay also has references to other things that happened to Forbes Smiley,
although most of it is invention [!]. And many of our friends who’ve looked at it are amazed that so much of
it is invention. They thought I was going to make a biopic or something. But being able to invent gives
you a lot of freedom. By the way, the film is called (Also, a Villager) ... " <
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/01/a_serious_mans_fred_melamed.html >.
- 'Antique maps missing from Asiatic Society' [Hemali
Chhapia, TNN, 24 January 2010, via the Times of India - seen 8 February]. This brief note describes the extensive
theft of maps from the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, founded in 1804.
'Almost nothing remains of
the entire set of maps that date back to 1803-04: they depict the expanse of Mumbai (then Bombay) in
great detail when the first revenue survey was carried out. Called the Dickinson survey, close to 350
rolls had every part of the city drawn - its street plan, forts, old tanks, buildings. The 200-year-old
guardian of these maps has no clue how they slipped through its fingers. And in what doesn’t seem
to be an admirable reflection of Asiatic Society’s efforts to preserve these records, another set of
antique rolls last catalogued in 1975 is short of 150 maps. These included admiralty charts of various
parts of the world, some drawn by the Portuguese who were considered prolific cartographers.
‘"It appears to be a systematic theft. Of another set of 1,330 maps that were catalogued by an
internal committee of Asiatic, only 1,135 remain now. I’ve written a letter to Society regarding these
missing maps. Maps have been vanishing over a period of time"', according to B Arunachalam, Professor
of Geography at the University of Mumbai.
- E. Forbes Smiley III. 'According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, Smiley was released from
prison yesterday' (note to the ExLibris list, 16 January 2010).
'Sharing
Information: Report on the LIBER Library Security Network (LSN) Since 2002' (by Erland Kolding Nielsen in
LIBER Quarterly 18,2 (September 2008): 90-100). I did not notice until 27 December 2009 this comment
about Peter Bellwood, who, on completion of his jail term in the UK for thefts from the National
Library of Wales was sentenced to a further term in Denmark: 'Under cross examination yesterday [23 May 2008] in court Peter
Bellwood confessed that he had sold the 11 maps [from the Danish Royal Library] to antiquarian and map dealer
David Bannister in London for GBP3,500. This is new information for us, since Peter Bellwood has hitherto not
been willing to reveal the identity of the buyer.' Prompted by that, a Google check pulled up the [London]
Guardian article of 23 December 2004 [see below], which had already disclosed Bannister as the purchaser of
from Bellwood of maps taken from the NLW.
Prevention and Suppression of Theft of Works of Art (a brief note about the Art Loss
Register and the Brussels-based Bureau Central Oeuvres d'Art et Antiquités - issued by the International League
of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), 30 November 2009)
'Accessing the Inaccessible: Creating a Digital Cartobibliography of Embedded Maps', by Craig Haggit
in Journal of Map and Geography Libraries, 5:1 (January 2009) pp.40-54 [seen 15 October 2009, but
subscription required] - "Maps within printed books have long been both useful for research and often
difficult to access. Numerous indexes have been published in the past 150 years to resolve this problem,
though these efforts have necessarily been limited in scope. A selection of these works is reviewed, and
an online and collaborative cartobibliography aimed at providing a method to index embedded maps using
wiki software is discussed". Citing this may seem strange, since the Cartoko Wiki [click 'Wiki'] discussed here has no concern with theft avoidance.
However, Craig Haggit's initiative, building on the work of those who had earlier attempted to index the
maps 'embedded' in books, has strong echoes of the project I have long urged, namely to produce a collaborative index of 'vulnerable'
maps - vulnerable, that is, to theft because of their commercial value and saleability. Armed with such
a list, whose contents would already be known to an educated thief, the rare book curator would be able
to take the necessary preventative action. The inclusion of scans on Cartoko is reminiscent of the
British Library's 'Vulnerable Items and Topographical Images Projects (Map Library)'.
"
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession"- a book review by Jeremy Dibbell on the PhiloBiblos
blog (4 October 2009). 'Allison Hoover Bartlett has turned her 2006 San Francisco Magazine article "The Man Who Loved Books Too
Much" into a book by the same
name (Riverhead, 2009). The subject is John Charles Gilkey, longtime book thief and crook-of-all-trades, who has
stolen (and most likely continues to steal) from book dealers and libraries around the world.' At least one
reference to maps is quoted: 'Naturally, things progressed, and even during the course of reporting for the book,
Bartlett learned that Gilkey had begun stealing maps and other rare materials from libraries: on p. 181, she
writes that she asked the thief "'Have you ever taken a book from the library?' ... Gilkey looked incredulous.
'No,' he said. 'That would be stealing.' I had no idea what to say." By p. 240, he's admitted to stealing dust
jackets and cutting maps out of library books. "So much for not stealing from the library," Bartlett notes.'
Dibbell explores the general issue of journalistic ethics, when presented with evidence of crime. A word of
warning: 'As Bartlett notes in the afterword, Gilkey couldn't be stopped: just before the book went to press, he
stole a book from a Canadian dealer. I'm sure it's not the last time.'
In response to a request for information from the prison service submitted by Everett Wilkie (convenor of
the ExLibris list) the following statement was released on 11 September 2009: 'According to the U.S. Prison at
Devens, MA, E. Forbes Smiley is to be released from that prison and sent to a half-way house, the
Barnstable County Work Release Center, in Bourne, MA, on September 22. He is scheduled to be released
completely from custody on January 17, 2010.'
<
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/zpravy/czech-court-imposes-five-years-on-pole-for-theft-of-rare-maps/393508 >
'Czech court imposes five years on Pole for theft of rare maps' (in the Ceske Noviny, 19 August 2009).
'A Czech court today sentenced 47-year-old Pole Piotr Stanislaw Peron to five years
in prison for stealing 16th-century maps from the Scientific Library in Olomouc, expelled him from the Czech
Republic for eight years and ordered him to pay 1.2 million crowns to the library. The verdict
has not taken effect as Peron appealed it immediately.
'In March Peron took the Apian
World Map, originating in 1520, away from the library, after cutting it out from an ancient book, Ioannis
Camertis Minoritani. Then he attempted to steal a map from 1599. The police caught him red-handed. An expert
estimated the value of the original coloured Apian map at 1.2 million crowns [about $67,000]. The value of the other map,
depicting North Pole and America's northernmost parts, was estimated at 600,000 crowns. Unlike the former map,
the latter has been returned to the library.
'Peron confessed to having stolen the
latter map, but asserted that he has never seen the former. Judge Marketa Langerova labelled his assertion
expedient. "When a library expert was giving his testimony, Peron came up with thorough information about details
in the map, before being stopped by his defence lawyer. The five-year sentence was imposed in view of the danger
[such crime poses] to society, of the damage caused and because significant pieces of cultural and historical
heritage were involved," Langerova said.
'State attorney Petra Brncalova said Peron,
with a permanent residence in Canada, was probably a member of an organised group."He was interested in history,
maps and atlases. He knew how to handle books, he was an experienced professional," Brncalova said. Experts say
similar maps can sell for an equivalent of up to 6 million crowns on the U.S. market, while the prices are
slightly lower in Europe. In the past, Peron was prosecuted for frauds in Poland. In March he was not allowed to
leave Poland and was bound to regularly report to the local police.' The article includes a photograph of the thief.
< http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/16929/multiple-map-thief-behind-bars > 'Multiple map thief
behind bars' (from thinkSpain, 12 August 2009).
'A thief, who has already made off with
nearly 70 priceless maps and documents from a number of Spanish libraries, and who was arrested by the Guardia
Civil on Friday, had planned a route of robberies across the rest of Spain and abroad. Z.V., a 47-year-old
Hungarian, had marked all the libraries he planned to 'visit' on a road map, continuing the journey he started in
the north of Spain, passing through another 30 or so Spanish cities before moving into Portugal, France and then
Italy. His 'visits' to libraries in Soria, Toledo, Valladolid, Logroño and Pamplona had already netted him 67
historic maps and cartographic documents dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries as well as several from the
Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Greece [i.e. presumably Ptolemaic maps].
'All the stolen documents have been recovered from the hotel room in
Pamplona, where Z.V. was arrested on Friday. The thief has no previous criminal record and is currently resident
in the Dominican Republic where he works as a second-hand car salesman. Apparently the man had no intention of
selling the documents, that he wanted for his own private collection ... The police operation, codenamed
'Operación Biblión' began in March 2008, when a map dating back to 1537 was stolen from the Real Biblioteca in
the San Lorenzo Monastery in Escorial (Madrid). The thief was eventually tracked down thanks to hotel records in
the towns where he had stolen.'
See further two articles in Spanish: (1) <
http://www.levante-emv.com/sucesos/2009/08/12/detienen-ladron-mapas-ptolomeo/620446.html > 'Detienen al
ladrón de los mapas de Ptolomeo. El acusado de robar 67 documentos cartográficos tenía una hoja de ruta con bibliotecas de España, Francia y
Portugal' (from levante-emv.com, 12 August 2009); and (2) < http://www.museum-security.org/?p=2478 > 'Spain - El ladrón de
mapas antiguos robó páginas de ocho libros de Navarra / Among the copies seized by the Guardia Civil is the
first modern atlas, Theatrum orbis terrarum (1579)' (featuring the text of an article by Nerea Alejos
(Pamplona, 12 August 2009) via the Museum Security Network).
A recent book out from Praeger Publishers, edited by Noah Charney: Art and Crime: Exploring the Dark Side of the Art
World, includes articles, one by Travis McDade and the other by Richard W. Oram and Ann Hartley, on issues
relating to library, archival, and map thefts and the recovery of special collections [thanks to Joel Kovarsky
for this, 3 August 2009].
More on the Kansas University Watson Library theft. Detective Jack Campbell Jr. forwarded a list
of the missing items to MapHist on 3 July 2009.
< http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/jun/09/rare-books-kus-watson-library-targeted-vandals/ >
'Rare books at KU’s Watson Library targeted by vandals' (by Jesse Fray in the Lawrence Journal, 9
June 2009 [seen 12 June]).
'Thieves are ripping off Kansas University’s Watson
Library, tearing apart books filled with old and expensive artwork, taking what’s valuable and leaving
destruction behind. Thousands of dollars worth of expensive pages have been cut apart and stolen from rare
books dating to the early 1800s, their bindings and remnants left sprinkled in unusual spaces throughout
the library. "It’s really unfortunate and incredibly rare that something like this would happen," said
Rebecca Smith, library spokeswoman. The thefts began May 28, when two books - valued at $3,700 by the
library - were damaged and parts of them stolen. The books, or large folios, contained expensive plates of
unique artwork and archaeological drawings, said Lea Currie, head of collection development for KU
libraries.'
Two obvious questions: how do they know more than one peron was
involved, and how, after all the recent, and widely publicised, slicing out of plates from books, can
those in charge of rare books find such activity surprising? No details were given here but it seems that
some maps were involved. [Thanks to Heather Kinsinger for drawing my attention to this.]
Announcement: Annual Study Conference of CILIP [Chartered Institute of
Library and Information Professionals] Rare Books & Special Collections Group, 'A Special
Relationship? Special Collections and the Antiquarian Book and MSS Trade', at Clare College, Cambridge,
9-11 September 2009 - 'an opportunity to examine and discuss issues concerning libraries and the antiquarian
book trade, including acquisitions, donations, valuations, theft and the sale of library materials'.
Posts to the MapHist list on 12 May 2009 [see the Archive under the
heading 'Map thief arrested in Cleveland, Ohio'] give a few details of a court appearance in Cleveland,
Ohio of Shannon Marie Timura. She is accused of having taken 1,200 'prints' from the Cleveland printseller,
Scott Francis, to sell online. Apparently, about 1000 of those have been recovered. Among the decorative
prints were a number of maps, mostly, it seems, 19th-century atlas maps of the United States.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8024809.stm > 'Book page thief sentence halved' (BBC News 29
April 2009).
'An Iranian scholar who stole pages from priceless books at Oxford's
Bodleian library and the British Library has had his sentence halved. Farhad Hakimzadeh, 61, of
Knightsbridge, central London, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of theft and was jailed for two years in January
2009. Judges at the Appeal Court reduced the sentence to 12 months and a deportation order was overturned
...
'William Boyce QC, for the scholar, pleaded his "philanthropic and charitable works" in mitigation, asking
for his jail term to be decreased. Mr Justice Blake, giving the court's judgement, said: "This was not a
case of someone stealing to improve his library then preventing scholars from accessing those books in the
future. All the books have been recovered and so have the pages. "He has suffered a considerable humiliation
and loss of reputation at the age of 61 years." The decision means that Hakimzadeh, having served 104 days,
will be released in 78 days time.
'A spokesman for the British Library said: "When Hakimzadeh damaged and stole
pages from Library items he abused the trust that we extend to all researchers using our collections. "We
have zero tolerance of anyone who harms our collections and will pursue anyone who threatens them with
utmost vigour." The spokesman added that the Library will "continue to pursue a number of routes with the
aim of achieving redress for the damage he caused."'
No clear details have been released about the maps that were taken. All the
books have apparently been recovered. Does that apply also to the maps?
'Thieves Take a
Page Out of Rare Books and Manuscripts', by Kimberly Alderman in the Art & Cultural Heritage Law
Newsletter (Spring 2009), pp.4-6.
'Steal the world' ['an English translation of an article that appeared in the Spanish national newspaper ABC in 2008', via the blog of ARCA (Association for Research into Crimes against Art), 14
March 2009. The original article, authored by Noah Charney, appeared on '4-1-2008'. It is a polemical and
pessimistic round-up of the Smiley, Gomez Rivero and other cases. 'Map theft is frighteningly commonplace.
But discreet statistics are rarely if ever kept by police, so the exact number of book, manuscript, and map
thefts per year in various countries is unclear ... There are hundreds of Smileys and Johnsons and Gomez
Riveros still out there, plundering one of the least protected of the world’s treasure troves.'
Travis McDade is quoted on the subject of map dealers, who are 'allowed to plead
ignorance, saying that they thought the stolen map they bought was a rare opportunity, a fantastic buy.'
Among his own observations is this: 'The surprise is not in the National Library [in Madrid] thefts having
occurred at all, but that someone was careless enough to have been caught.' He does, however, urge that we
all learn from past mistakes and he suggests various practical security measures. Some have been urged by
others; a few perhaps will be thought impracticable.
< http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d41a83d6-09dc-11de-add8-0000779fd2ac.html > 'What drives people to
steal precious books' (by Tim Richardson in the Financial Times, 6 March 2009).
A run-down of recent events and of the measures being taken in an attempt to make things more
difficult for future thieves. The task, though, is a large one. 'The Museum Security Network, a
Dutch-based, not-for-profit organisation devoted to co-ordinating efforts to combat this type of theft,
estimates that only 2 to 5 per cent of stolen books are recovered, compared with about half of stolen
paintings ... Yet there is still no global security network for libraries and the need for more co-operation
and openness is, perhaps, reflected in the fact that Hakimzadeh had form'. Though brief, the article is
wide-ranging. 'Now we come to the elephant in the room: insider theft. The vast majority of library staff
would, of course, never dream of stealing items in their care but evidence suggests that most thefts are
committed by staff or trusted insiders.' The piece includes a summary of Martin Gill's tips 'To catch a
thief', from a recent LIBER Quarterly article.
< http://www.rbms.info/committees/task_force/alasaa_joint_access/index.shtml > 'Joint Statement
on Access to Research Materials in Archives and Special Collections Libraries' (20 February 2009).
The draft statement, with important passages concerning security, and references, has
been posted for comment by 15 March. It was prepared by a joint group from the American Library
Association and the Society of American Archivists.
< http://www.news.com.au:80/couriermail/story/0,23739,25003084-5003424,00.html > 'Linda
Fairstein turns real life into crime story success' (by Fiona Purdon in the [Queensland] Courier Mail
, 6 February 2009).
Forbes Smiley has achieved further fame - literary this
time. The former chief prosecutor of the Manhattan District Attorney Office's Sex Crimes Unit, Linda
Fairstein, now a crime novelist, has set her latest book, Lethal Legacy in the New York Public
Library.
'Conservator of antique books and maps Tina Barr is attacked in her
apartment, which turns out to be a murder scene the next day. [Alex] Cooper and regular police associate
Mike Chapman delve into the shady world of rich collectors and library conservation as Fairstein explores
how far people will go to secure a rare map - even murder. Barr is a suspected associate of map thief Eddy
Forbes, who is based on two real- life criminals - Victor Phillips and Edward Forbes Smiley. Phillips was
convicted of criminal possession of stolen property in 1976 after he stole rare maps and books, which he
cut up to sell as individual prints'.
Smiley I think we already know. I hope her No.1 fan, Bill Clinton, enjoys this one, though map curators and those occupied in the 'shady world' of library conservation may
have slight cause for alarm.
'Guardian Comments on Book Thefts' (PhiloBiblos, 2 February 2009) - Jeremy Dibbell adds his
own useful comments to the Guardian article referred to in the preceding entry: 'Auction houses and book
dealers must do a more thorough job of checking provenance, and must report suspicious items when they are
offered for sale. Libraries and all other institutions must speak out when they've been robbed, and must
follow through on the cases and carry them to completion. Collectors must also be watchful of what they're
purchasing - even when it's from reputable dealers - and follow up on any suspicious items offered or
purchased. Most importantly, all three groups must talk to each other.' He also points out that 'if the
international media publicized cultural crimes more often and in more depth, not only would more thieves
be captured, but judges and legislatures would take notice and enact the penalties these criminals
deserve.'
< http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/02/antiquarian-book-theft-library-crime > 'Book world's
silence helps tome raiders. Libraries secretive about acts by eccentric criminals. Scale of antiquarian
book thefts is unknown' (Sandra Laville in the [London] Guardian, 2 February 2009) - A round-up of recent
rare book theft cases: William Simon Jacques, known as the 'tome raider', who uses aliases such as Mr
Santoro or David Fletcher, 'jailed for four years for stealing £1m worth of rare and ancient books from
the British Library in one of the biggest hauls in legal history', and now out of prison; David Slade, a
former president of the (UK) Antiquarian Booksellers Association - a trusted insider, like Smiley, who
betrayed that trust to steal private press volumes from his employer Sir Evelyn de Rothschild; and Farhad
Hakimzadeh. The commentary points out the mismatch between some current practice and what is
needed. The gagging clause in the Hakimzadeh case was unknown to me.
'They successfully plunder priceless tomes, manuscripts and ancient maps, while the players in this closed
world - the national and international libraries, the dealers and the victims themselves - largely remain
silent about what is going on ... Alan Shelley, current president [of the ABA], said the only way to
eradicate the trafficking of rare books was to work closely with libraries, auctioneers and dealers. The
British Library has led the way by admitting when it is the victim of theft. But while major international
libraries alert each other to details of stolen books or descriptions of thieves, these do not always
reach the antiquarian book trade and not all libraries are honest about falling victim to theft. "We all
need to be a bit more grown up," said Jolyon Hudson, from Pickering and Chatto antiquarian bookseller.
"[Libraries] are the curators of the nation's knowledge, and when they lose it they are somewhat
embarrassed to admit that."
'The British Library, already plundered by Jacques, and after him by the American thief Edward Forbes
Smiley, fell victim to the secrecy surrounding the antiquarian world, when they allowed Farhad Hakimzadeh
to become a reader. He proceeded to slice out sections of handbound books, causing £300,000 worth of
damage - a crime for which he received two years in jail this month. Unknown to the library, the Iranian academic had stolen almost £100,000 worth of books from the Royal
Asiatic Society 12 years before. But in an out-of-court settlement, which included a gagging clause on
both sides, Hakimzadeh paid the RAS £75,000 and details were not sent around the international library
alert system.'
< http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jan/17/british-library-damaged-books > 'British Library seeks £300,000 damages
from book vandal' (the [London] Guardian, 17 January 2009) - Further details emerge here about Farhad Hakimzadeh, in
particular the theft from the Royal Asiatic Society, on whose Editorial Board he sat, for which he avoided the publicity that
would have attended prosecution. The later thefts from the British Library and Bodleian followed. It is also confirmed that he had made monetary gain from at least some of those thefts.
'Farhad Hakimzadeh, 60, used a
scalpel to remove leaves from the priceless books, which date back to the 16th Century and chart the travels of westerners in the
Middle East. Appearing at Wood Green crown court in London for sentencing yesterday, Hakimzadeh, who lives in a £3m home in
Knightsbridge, south-west London, claimed he suffered from an obsessive compulsive disorder which forced him to remove the pages
to complete his own extensive collection.
'The court heard that his obsession was such that he left his marital bed on his wedding night to polish his books, but that he
also made monetary gain, selling one of his own books with a stolen page inserted into it for more than £2,000. Passing sentence, Judge Peter Ader told Hakimzadeh: "I have no doubt you were stealing for gain in order to enhance your library
and your collection. It seems to me it was a kind of vanity that you wanted to have the best library in your field ..."
'The court heard he had stolen 94 items from the Royal Asiatic Society in 1998, but paid the library £75,000 as compensation. The
British Library is pursuing its own civil claim for damages in excess of £300,000 from Hakimzadeh. The claim takes into account
the priceless nature of some of the books he damaged which cannot be restored.'
< http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090116/tuk-jail-for-stealing-pages-from-rare-bo-dba1618.html > 'A businessman has been
jailed for two years after admitting stealing pages from rare and priceless books at two historic libraries' (Yahoo News, 16
January 2009) - Farhad Hakimzadeh was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court (in north London) to two years in jail. He had
a Reader's Pass from the British Library from 1998 and had been stealing from the Bodleian Library, Oxford from at least 2003.
'Separate civil proceedings have been launched by the British Library against him'. [See under 21 November 2008 for the initial story.]
Ton Cremers, in a post on the Museum
Security Network (2 January 2009) takes issue with 'Noah Charney’s misconceptions about art theft',
referring to a post by Charney on 30 December, '2008 in Review: Art Crimes of the Year', to artinfo.com <
http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/29907/2008-in-review-art-crimes-of-the-year/?page=1 >. One of the examples
cited is Farhad Hakimzadeh (due to be sentenced on 16 January) whom Charney sees as a rare example of the thief
who does not steal to sell. Until/unless more information becomes available, this interpretation seems unlikely
[see the long entry under 21 November 2008].
< http://www.americanaexchange.com/NewAE/aemonthly/article.asp?f=1&page=1&id=740 > 'Police Blotter:
284,000 Stolen Books, and a Scholar-Thief' (seen 2 January 2009, on Americana Exchange) - another round-up,
this one by Michael Stillman, of recent book thefts, referring, inter alia, to Smiley and Hakimzadeh.
PhiloBiblos posted a 1 January 2009 Round-up of the book (and map) thefts during 2008, with links to his posts about them at the time.
2008
- Daniel Crouch of the London dealer, Bernard Shapero Rare Books, announced to MapHist on
2 December 2008 ('Stolen maps and atlases') that 'a number of atlases were stolen from one of our
customers' Mayfair office last Thursday evening. A list follows below. Also taken were several dozen
antique sheet maps, all folio size or larger; most depicting part or all of Greece or the Mediterranean.
A list of these will be available shortly.'
- The London media provided general cover, on 21 November 2008, of the story about the 60-year old, Harvard-
trained businessman, Farhad Hakimzadeh, who sliced pages from 150 early books in the British Library
and the Bodleian Library, Oxford. See, for example, the Guardian, 'History's missing pages: Iranian academic
sliced out sections of priceless collection' <
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/nov/21/british-library-sues-iranian-academic >, the Independent,
'Millionaire stole priceless pages from Bodleian's rarest books' <
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/millionaire-stole-priceless-pages-from-bodleians-rarest-books-1028253.html
>, and the BBC, 'Scholar faces jail for page theft' <
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7739754.stm >. Hakimzadeh, who left Iran at the fall of the Shah, has a U.S.
passport and was 'chief executive of the Iran Heritage Foundation, a charity he formed in 1995 to promote and
preserve the history, languages and culture of Iran' (this and other quotes from the Guardian).
The reported facts include the following. Over a period of seven (or eight) years he
used a scalpel to remove pages and maps from books (presumably seen in the British Library's Rare Books
Reading Room), making sure he was unsighted by the CCTV. I have seen reference to just one map although
'maps', in the plural, was mentioned several times. This appear to be the world map attributed to Holbein,
which appeared in the 1532 Huttich and Grynaeus Novus Orbis regionum (Shirley No. 67). I did not see
any comment as to whether or not this map has been retrieved, nor the identity or fate of others.
The books he mutilated described 'how Europeans travelled to Mesopotamia, Persia and the
Mogul empire from the 16th century onwards'. In some cases Hakimzadeh used the stolen pages to
complete books in his own collection. However, many of the sheets have not been recovered, which raises the
obvious questions: where are they now, and has he been selling the marketable material, particularly the maps?
He has pleaded guilty to specimen charges of stealing 10 items from the BL and four from the Bodleian. The BL
has valued the damage to their books at £400,000 and has launched civil proceedings against Hakimzadeh, who is
described as a millionaire.
When damage to one book was reported in 2006, a check was made of other volumes
consulted by those who had seen that title. Once the trail led to Hakimzadeh, he was found to have sliced
material out of up to 150 of the 842 books he consulted. In the opinion of Dr Kristian Jensen, the head of
British collections at the library, "Hakimzadeh is eminently characteristic of our traditional groups of
readers: he has a profound knowledge of the field. From my point of view, that makes it worse because he
actually knew the importance of what he was damaging. What he did was use the cover of serious scholarly
purpose to steal historic pieces and abuse our trust." Jensen also stated that the thefts were the most
damaging the British Library had suffered.
[Update: the [London] Times (also 21 November), 'The gentleman thief who took a
leaf out of the British Library’s rarest travel books' <
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article5201784.ece > states, 'The
total cost of the damage that he inflicted on books from the British Library could be up to £1 million - one
map alone that he cut out of a book was worth £30,000 ... Although four specimen charges were brought
involving books from the Bodleian’s collection, a spokesman said that since 2003 he had taken pages from
another 47 volumes.' Another comment - 'Experts were able to match one of the pages found at Hakimzadeh’s home
to a book in the British Library as it had exactly the same mark made by a book worm' - brought memories of
the laughter that the mention of worm-holes provoked in Smiley's US court.
[Further updates: 22 November. Sentencing has been postponed until 16
January 2009, as reported on the Cultural Property and Archaeology Law Blog. And 27 November. 'Millionare Bodleian
thief brought to book' (Cherwell.org - student news and reviews at Oxford University) <
http://www.cherwell.org/content/8170 >, which concentrates on the
Bodleian's reactions.
[Further update: 27 November. '‘Trusted reader’ destroys books: Staff
at British Library express outrage as ‘millionaire vandal’ pleads guilty', by Paul Keilthy in the Camden
News [covering the British Library's borough] <
http://www.thecnj.co.uk/camden/2008/112708/news112708_11.html >. Based on 'the first public
discussion of the thefts' (that day) the period during which the activity occurred was given as
1997-2005. 'The British Library team which investigated the thefts had to minutely examine every page
and illustration in 842 books consulted by the thief ... Police searched Hakimzadeh’s Knightsbridge
home after the thefts were discovered but found only 14 items. Detective Sergeant Graham Simpson, who
worked on the case, said there was no evidence that Hakimzadeh had sold the artefacts for gain. "As for
his motivations, they are completely unknown," he said.' If the maps and pages were not sold, it is
reasonable to ask where are they now? It is hoped that the British Library's proposed civil case
against Hakimzadeh will throw light on that and, better still, retrieve a significant amount of the
stolen material. There is still no information about the other maps involved.]
[Further update: 16 January 2009 - see under that date - he was sentenced to two years in
jail.]
- The New York Map Society Missing Maps
page, maintained by John Woram, has been updated (13 November 2008) with further commentary, especially about Harvard
University's Houghton Library and the issues arising out of the sale at Sotheby's of the Champlain map (see below).
- Peter Barber, Head of Map Collections at the British Library, sent a message, on 10 November 2008, to the MapHist list
about the inclusion in the BL's Integrated Catalogue of 'all information describing unique details of individual copies'.
[Unfortunately, the message cannot be retrieved as it contained images.] While this is a general announcement, specific
mention is made of the 'Vulnerable Items and Topographical Images Projects (Map Library)' - an indication of how the map
community is leading the field in the documentation of the kinds of copy-specific information that might be required to
identify a stolen item.
- More on the provenance question surrounding the Champlain map. In a message to the MapHist list on 14
October, John Overholt, Assistant Curator, The Donald and Mary Hyde Collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson/ Early Modern
Books and Manuscripts, Houghton Library, Harvard University, wrote: "After a comparative assessment of digital
copies of the missing Harvard map and the map Sotheby's will auction, Houghton Library curators have found enough
discrepancies to believe that the one for sale is not the one missing from Harvard. Harvard and Sotheby's are
collaborating on possible further steps". [See also the same journalist's update on 14 October: 'Champlain map
cleared for auction', <
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=a48b9899-768f-46c8-84f6-d50552536ca5 >.] For continuing
discussion (21 October) about the current status of Harvard's missing maps list of August 2006, and of the
apparent reluctance to release scans of those that have not yet been recovered, see comments in the New York Map
Society's online newsletter.
- < http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=10546db5-6beb-4882-a32d-69d5f421d8ed > 'Rare
map of Canada under scrutiny after Harvard thefts' (Randy Boswell, in the Calgary Herald, 12 October 2008) - 'A
rare print of a 396-year-old map of Canada created by French explorer Samuel de Champlain - and billed by
Sotheby's as "perhaps the most important single map" in Canadian history - is to be auctioned next month in
Britain for up to $80,000. But the newly offered copy of Champlain's richly illustrated rendering of Canada's
geography as it was understood in 1612 - just four years after the founding of New France at Quebec City - is
drawing special attention from experts at Harvard University, which had its vintage reproduction of the same map
stolen several years ago from its antique book library.' What is described misleadingly as the 'vintage
reproduction' of the 1612 Champlain map of Nouvelle France is one of the original maps reported missing by Harvard
in the wake of the Forbes Smiley thefts. It did not appear on the list of his admitted thefts. Harvard is
currently checking digital photographs and considering sending somebody to London to check in person.
'A Sotheby's spokesman said the map being sold was checked - as all items are before sale -
against a U.S.-based lost art registry that tracks missing artworks and other cultural artifacts from around the
world'. Clearly Sotheby's are unaware of the efforts made to identify and then publicise the maps found missing in
those collections visited by Smiley, information brought together by John Woram into a single database. That the large number of those
maps still unaccounted for are not also included in the new database, specifically for maps, set up by IAMA, is not for want of urging by Joel Kovarsky, who manages
that vital tool in the fight against thefts. [See also the comment placed on the online newsletter of the New York
Map Society by John Woram.]
- For a first-hand account of his dealings with Joshua McCarty, over the Ted Canaday map thefts, see Stolen maps & books by George Ritzlin (mounted 8 October 2008)
- 'Hayes
Presidential Library Theft' (15 September 2008)
Travis McDade, who teaches a law course, with particular reference to, I understand, the theft of library materials
has analysed the security implications of the various statements made by library officials. He also quotes, at the
beginning, from the Philobiblos blog.
His piece needs to be read in full. In my view his criticisms about the library's security, or
lack of it, seem justified, even if his blanket dismissal of the usefulness of a database of stolen material is not.
As he itemises them, almost every action taken by staff was inappropriate and almost none of the precautions
necessary for a library holding valuable material were in place. As he concludes: "I've seen a lot of crimes. I've
never seen a more clear cut example of buffoonish criminals being abetted by a dismally ill-prepared library staff."
One of the Toledo Blade articles <
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080912/NEWS03/809120347 > had a staff member say: "Our head
librarian has been at the center 25 years and, in that time, we have never had a theft of this type of material". The
same Communications Manager explained that "for someone to be so selfish to take material for personal gain and
remove them from public access as a whole - that is ultimately upsetting to us." The upset is fully understandable,
but how is such innocence about the ways of the world still possible, in a library described as containing 'some of
the country's rarest books'?
- < http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/09/12/rarebooks.html?sid=101 > 'Three
charged with swiping rare books. Columbus couple, Marysville man could face 10 years in prison' (John Futty, in the
Columbus Dispatch, 12 September 2008).
Joshua T. McCarty (31) was one of three people arrested this week and charged with stealing two books
from the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library in Fremont, Ohio. One of them is valued at over $100,000 and hence is an
"object of cultural significance". McCarty and the others face 'up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if
convicted' [perhaps Smiley's lawyer could help here].
Of specific interest to the map community is the statement that 'Federal prosecutors said McCarty has a
lengthy criminal history, including an arrest in 2007 in connection with the theft of $20,000 worth of antique maps from a
bookstore in Harrisburg, Pa.' I reported the earlier theft as follows in March 2007: <
http://mark.antiquetrader.com/Be+On+Lookout+For+Maps+Stolen+From+Pa+Shop.aspx > 'Be on lookout for maps stolen from Pa.
shop' (Mark Moran, 1 March 2007) - 'Approximately 50 antique maps were stolen from Ted L. Canaday Old and Rare Books,
in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, sometime between Feb. 8-15. The total value of the maps amounted to nearly $20,000.' Among items
thought to be unusual was a MS map of early oil territory in Pennsylvania'. I had not seen any further news about that map
theft.
The Fremont thefts were also reported in the Toledo Blade on 12 September <
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080912/NEWS03/809120347 > and again on the 13th <
http://toledoblade.com:80/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080913/NEWS17/809139993 >. These add considerable extra information,
e.g. that the thefts took place 'in June' and on 25 August, that the combined value was about $130,000, that one of the two
stolen books, the 'Maxwell Code' (1795, the first book printed in Ohio), had been recovered, and that McCarty, although being
described as 'more intelligent than your typical thief,' was caught when he was spotted 'leaving a women's bathroom'.
Bonnie Magness-Gardiner, art theft program manager for the FBI said private owners, libraries, museums, galleries, and
presidential centers should take proper steps to protect themselves from such thefts. "They really need to protect it by
having insurance, appropriate security, and an inventory," she said. "If they don’t have an inventory with a good photograph,
if it’s stolen, it will be very difficult to get back that material."
- 'Cataloging rare maps
in books' (15 August 2008) - on this continuing thread (running partly in parallel on the ExLibris and MapHist lists)
Angie Cope, of the American Geographical Society Library, drew attention to a useful source for anyone compiling a database
of 'vulnerable maps'. 'The American Geographical Society of New York cataloged all maps in books and produced a 13 volume
set entitled: "Index to maps in books and periodicals" published by G.K. Hall. It is accompanied by another hefty set
entitled: "Research catalog." These volumes are literally photocopies of the card catalog from the AGS of NY numbering
around 300,000 cards that reflect the holdings of the AGS (and now the AGSL). But, maps in books were cataloged in great
detail - including newer and the older/rare items.'
- 'Maps in Books' - a draft
cataloging manual, from Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, was announced to the ExLibris list on 13 August 2008 by
Stephen R. Young, Rare Book Team Leader at the Sterling Memorial Library. "This project to enhance the description and
access for maps in books is one of many responses to the Smiley thefts."
- "I believe it is very important to enhance access to the maps that are "hidden" in the books. I thought it was odd
that a few years back, again while I was at Tulsa, someone was doing a survey of map holdings in libraries. But you weren't
allowed to count the maps in books, just loose maps. You could count atlases, but not other monographs that included maps.
But as you all know, it is within these monographs where many of the important, valuable maps are. And the ones that are
vulnerable to theft. Especially if you have no record that your copy of the volume was complete with all maps." (Lori N.
Curtis, Archivist, Loma Linda University, California, to ExLibris, 12 August 2008).
- < http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-news/2008/08/04/electrician-stole-books-worth-89-000-from-
birmingham-university-65233-21463926/ > 'Electrician stole books worth £89,000 from Birmingham University'
(Ross McCarthy, in the Birmingham Post, 4 August 2008) - 'Police who arrested an electrician after he tried to
dishonestly use his former boss’s fuel card at a garage, discovered he had a haul of stolen valuable historic
maps and books at his home. Richard Delaney had taken the items worth about £89,000 while working at
Birmingham University library, the city’s crown court heard ... The judge sentenced Delaney, 37, of Mapleton
Road, Hall Green, who admitted two charges of theft and one of dishonestly making a false representation, to 12
months imprisonment suspended for 18 months ... When interviewed Delaney said he had access to the special
collections room of the university library where he was carrying out electrical work. He claimed he had taken the
maps from books out of interest intending to read them and return the items. Tim Pole, defending, said at the
time Delaney was addicted to heroin and his life was on a downward spiral. He said he had not initially realised
the value of the maps and books although he did realise later and was going to sell them.'
See also 'Birmingham University library hit by £200,000 burglary' (by Nick McCarthy in the Birmingham Post, 5 August
< http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2008/04/15/birmingham-university-library-hit-by-200-000-
burglary-97319-20766006/ > - 'Historic books, maps and letters worth £200,000 were stolen from Birmingham
University. The documents, which have since been recovered, were taken from a secure collections department at the
university library in February ... A spokesman for the university declined to give details of what was taken whilst
it was subject to a police investigation and court proceedings, but he confirmed that the items have been recovered.'
As can be seen the accounts disagree about the value of the stolen material. His age is variously given as 36 and 37.
This later report talks of him 'facing charges' where the earlier one announced the sentence.
- Everett Wilkie sent a message to the ExLibris list (2 August 2008), headed "Smiley's legitimate purchases". 'I
had the idea to search American Book Prices Current for records of items that Forbes Smiley had purchased over the
years. The records are somewhat dated, of course, since the names of buyers long ago stop being revealed. Anyway,
below are the records I found. I assume that anything in the list he later sold was probably legitimately acquired,
since the purchases all seem to predate his conversion to the dark side of the force.' Then followed 14 records from
the period 1985-8. Unfortunately the public ExLibris Archive is not functioning at present and so no link can be
given.
- Further on the case of Peter Joseph Bellwood. < http://www.cphpost.dk:80/get/107185.html > 'Map
thief says sorry. A UK man who stole a series of medieval maps from the Royal Library apologised to the
Danish people for his actions' (the Copenhagen Post, 14 May 2008) - 'A British thief was sentenced to one
year in prison for stealing several maps dating from the 16th and 17th centuries from the Royal Library in
2001, reported Politiken newspaper. The man, 56-year-old Joseph Bellwood, was captured at that time on the
library’s video camera cutting 11 authentic medieval world maps out of books during his visit there seven
years ago. Bellwood left the country before he could be caught, however, but he was later arrested and
jailed in the UK for a similar theft in Wales.
'Auction house Christie’s valued the maps at £70,000, or
around 1 million kroner, while Bellwood’s lawyer claimed the value to be only around 40,000 kroner. The
Royal Library sought a total of 4.2 million kroner in compensation for the loss, which included the
destruction of the maps’ original books. Yet the court required Bellwood to pay only 324,000 kroner in
retribution in addition to his one-year jail sentence.
'He will begin serving the sentence in 2009, after he has finished serving his UK jail term. The
whereabouts of the maps are presently unknown, as Bellwood had sold them on. Bellwood received his Danish
sentence from the Eastern High Court on Tuesday and was given the chance to speak in his defence. ‘I would
like to take this opportunity to apologise to the library and the Danish people,’ he told the court. ‘I am
very sorry for what I’ve done.’ Bellwood had also robbed libraries in other European capitals and it was
only due to the Royal Library’s cameras that he was identified and later caught' [via
Philobiblos.] See also a statement from the Danish Royal Library, posted to the MapHist list on 16
May.
- The Missing and Stolen Maps Database was officially
launched on 27 April 2008. It is managed by the
International Antiquarian Mapsellers Association (IAMA). For explanatory notes on the functioning of the Database
see the announcement to the MapHist list. I wholeheartedly endorse the comment of Joel Kovarsky: 'we sincerely hope that librarians,
dealers and collectors will make use of this site'. Now that a mechanism has been provided that allows widespread -
and it is hoped, speedy - dissemination of news about map thefts, it is essential that all the communities involved
support this initiative wholeheartedly. It should not be too long before the first thief is caught because of this
Database.
- <
http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2008/04/09/artifacts_stolen_from_historical_society/ >
'Artifacts stolen from historical society' (The Boston Globe, 9 April 2008) - 'Police say someone stole everything
from historic maps and clothing to a cannon ball from the New Castle (New Hampshire) Historical Society. Police
Chief James Murphy says the thief or thieves forced their way into the society sometime during the weekend, leaving
behind a trail of blood ... The society discovered the theft on Tuesday ... maps of New Castle also were taken.'
[Update, 10 April in the Union Leader - 'New Castle historical society posts $2,000 reward in theft', by Clare
Kittredge <
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=
New+Castle+historical+society+posts+%242%2C000+reward+in+theft&articleId=b672fc6a-9fb6-41b5-bae9-5ab6764bba61 >.
More details are given of the break-in, including the fact that 'blood was left spattered over postcards, maps...'.]
- < http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=666322&category=REGIONOTHER&BCCode=&newsdate=2/24/2008&TextPage=1
> 'Treasure-troves at risk. Thefts cost billions as experts work to step up security of artifacts' (Paul
Grondahl, in the [Albany] Times-Union, 24 February 2008) - A round-up of security concerns affecting US
archives and libraries, prompted by the actions of Daniel Lorello, on the staff of the New York State Archives. 'Millions of
valuable historical documents at local historical societies, state libraries and the National Archives are
vulnerable to being stolen by insiders and outsiders. The reasons are many: the sheer volume; incomplete inventories; the cost of security; the value of the artifacts
amid a growing demand from collectors; and the fact the documents are routinely retrieved by staffers for use by
researchers in public reading rooms...'
'The FBI estimates $6 billion is lost annually in crimes against cultural institutions worldwide. Strassberg
advocates spending more on security and tougher sentences for the thieves ... Mandatory bag inspections of
State Library and Archives employees as they leave work have been discussed over the years, but have not been
put in place because of concerns raised by unions and the added cost.' As one librarian pointed out: "We're
always trying to balance access and security".
[The full text also available via
ExLibris.]
- Stolen map alert from the British Library, 21 February 2008. "I very much regret to report that we have discovered the theft of
74 maps from ‘Description de l’Univers, contenant les differentes systemes du monde, les cartes ... de la géographie ancienne et
moderne ... et les moeurs ... de chaque nation’ by MANESSON MALLET, Alain. (Paris, 1683). This is now the subject of a police
investigation with the Arts and Antiques Unit. We do not yet know when the maps were stolen, and as soon as I have more information
I will be in touch again." The crime number is 230 4414/08. Any information, please, to: Judith Barnes, Collection Security
Co-ordinator, 020 7412 7821. [From Shelf:Life, with
further information from
PhiloBiblos. Rodney Shirley, Maps in the Atlases of the British Library, describes the work (Vol 1, p.667-), referring for a collation
to Pastoureau. The BL example forms part of the Rare Book, rather than Map collection.]
- 'eBay to buy back stolen historical items' (by Michael Gormley, Associated Press, 9 February 2008) - An important
development in connection with the theft of material taken from the New York State Archives by Daniel Lorello. 'Documents dating
from the Civil War and others to and from Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt are among hundreds of stolen documents sold online that
eBay is agreeing to buy back and return to New York's archives, a state official said Saturday. The online auction giant has no
liability in the sale of the stolen artifacts, but agreed voluntarily to offer buyers the amount that they paid, according to the
official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because not all details of the investigation have been announced ... The total
cost of buying back the documents for which eBay has sales records is estimated at $68,000. The offer by eBay means the state
won't have to spend money to buy the records. If there is a conviction, a court could order restitution.' [The full text
available via
ExLibris.]
- 'Stolen maps database
announcement' (message to MapHist from Joel Kovarsky, 5 February 2008) - 'The International Antiquarian Mapsellers Association (IAMA) is funding the development of a stolen map database. We
hope to have a working prototype available by mid-April 2008.' The message explains how the database will function and lists those
who have signed up to the idea.
- < http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345494689 > 'The Map Thief', a suspense novel by Heather
Terrell, a Pittsburgh lawyer, is due out in July 2008 from Random House. No synopsis as yet.
- Since July 2007, Francis Herbert has been carrying out in the British Library Map Library the 'Vulnerable Maps' project,
describing in detail antiquarian maps in volumes that are judged to be at greatest risk of theft. Such maps are being identified
among the BL's collection with the aid of carto-bibliographies, stamped and scanned, as reported in Cartographiti, the
newsletter of the Map Curators' Group of the British Cartographic Society, 80 (Autumn 2007) p.5.
- < http://wikis.ala.org/acrl/index.php/RBMS_Seminars_in_Development_2008 > 'Security: Bringing It All Back Home:
Recovering from a Theft (Seminar 6)' (9 January 2008) - preliminary details of the Preconference in Los Angeles, 24-27 June 2008,
to be held by the The Rare Books and Manuscript Section (RBMS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division
of the American Library Association (ALA). This is to include: Michael Inman, Librarian, Rare Books Division, New York Public
Library; Topic: 'The Smiley Thefts'.
- < http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/01/02/stolen_rare_maps_find_their_way_back_to_librarys_collection/ >
'Stolen rare maps find their way back to library's collection' (by Jenna Russell, 2 January 2008 in the Boston Globe)
'More than 30 rare, antique maps stolen from the Boston Public Library by a Martha's Vineyard map dealer were returned to the
library in 2007, library president Bernard Margolis said this week, part of the conclusion of an international scandal that rocked
the staid world of map collecting. Not all has been resolved, however. More than 30 other missing maps, losses that have not been
linked to confessed map thief E. Forbes Smiley III, have yet to be recovered by the Boston library more than a year after their
disappearance was discovered ...
'Margolis said investigators have returned 31 maps that Smiley admitted taking from the Boston library. In addition, Smiley has
paid the library $7,000 in restitution for another map he stole that cannot be found, Margolis said. Three other maps have not
been located, he said. Curators at the library inventoried their rare maps after the thefts came to light, and discovered 36 more
missing maps worth almost $1 million. Two of those maps have since been returned by collectors in Boston and Maryland, Margolis
said, and efforts to uncover the others at auctions are ongoing ... The Boston library has spent about $200,000 on improved
security and surveillance systems to prevent future thefts, Margolis said. All visitors to the rare-books room now sign in and
out. But by necessity, the thefts have left the library a less trusting place.' Also giving details of the three maps still
missing from Harvard.
2007
- 'Chile returns thousands of stolen Peruvian books' (7 November 2007 [noted 15 November]) - 'Chile returned to Peru on Monday
3,788 books, antique texts, and a variety of other artifacts dating back to the 16th century. The items were originally stolen
from Lima's National Library and taken to Santiago during the late 19th century War of the Pacific.' The returned items carry
the seal of the Peruvian National Library - a stamp of Peru's coat of arms and the inscription "Biblioteca de Lima."' The head of
Peru's National Library referred [no detail given] to 'a huge list of atlases and volumes with notes from travelers that came to explore this side
of the world'. [The full text also available via ExLibris.]
- < http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=81&story_id=45990 > 'New outbreak of map pilfering in
ministry library' (15 November 2007) [Copyright EL PAÍS, SL. / J. A. HERNÁNDEZ 2007] - 'The Foreign Ministry says that almost 300
"highly valued" books, some of them more than 400 years old, have been stolen or lost from its library in recent years ... It
appears that the thefts have taken place over a number of years. Indeed, a Foreign Ministry spokesman told EL PAÍS this week that
such pilfering is almost a tradition at the library ... Among the missing items are several maps from the late 16th century, a
number of large-format books, as well as a valuable collection of 18th-century maps of the coastline of northern Europe ... The
losses, most from the last four years, were discovered during a recent inventory of the library ... One hypothesis being explored
is that a Ministry employee has taken advantage of the poor security in the building to systematically steal books to sell them on
the black market.' [The library is open 'only to academics, or specialist researchers'. No mention is made of the coincidence that
the four-year theft period suggested here seems to be similar to that for the maps taken from the National Library.] [via Map the Universe; see the full text on ExLibris.]
- 'No jail time for woman who
stole rare book from Rockland Historical Society' (Steve Lieberman in the New York Journal News, 8 November 2007) - Rebecca
Streeter-Chen, who stole an 1823 copy of Tanner's New American Atlas (valued at $60,000) on April 22 from the Rockland
Historical Society, was sentenced to community service rather than jail because she has young children. [The full text also
available via
ExLibris, and for comment see Travis McDades's blog].
- Resolution [dated 1
October 2007, seen 24 October] - 'The Rare Books and Manuscript Section (RBMS) and the Map and Geography Roundtable (MAGERT) of
the American Library Association mutually commend members of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), the
International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the International Antiquarian Mapsellers Association (IAMA) for their
cooperation in assisting with the recent recoveries of stolen maps and books removed from library and archival collections. Thanks
to the assistance of these organizations and other members of the antiquarian trade, valuable cultural resources have been
returned to their home libraries and archives'. Twenty dealers and auction houses are named, in connection with the Smiley thefts
and those 'from the University of Texas at Austin by Mimi Meyer'.
- < http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=520020 > 'Long Lamont Line Irks Students. Students complain about
meticulous searches by new guard; call line ‘absurd’' (Denise J. Xu in the Harvard Crimson, 12 October 2007) - Director of
Communications for Harvard College Library (HCL) Beth Brainard explained that 'thefts such as those conducted by map marauder E.
Forbes Smiley cause HCL to reevaluate their security procedures. In general, however, she said that "security measures are
proactive rather than reactive".'
- < http://www.hindu.com/lr/2007/10/07/stories/2007100750050600.htm > 'Dark side of bibliomania' (by Pradeep Sebastian, in
The Hindu, 7 October 2007) - a review of Travis McDade’s The Book Thief: The True Crimes of Daniel Spiegelman
(Praeger Publishers, 2006). Among Spiegelman's haul were '284 historical maps, 237 individual maps razored out of a 17th century
version of Blaeu’s Atlas Major'. Reference is made to the famous judgement by Judge Kaplan: "great research libraries are
repositories of our social, cultural, and scientific heritage. Their rare books and manuscripts are vital to understanding the
world and often are irreplaceable objects of study for scholars who add to our knowledge of ourselves and our environment." McDade
teaches legal research at the College of Law at the University of Illinois, and runs his own blog.
- Theft of an atlas with Allard and De Wit maps from a French dealer [7 September]. "Please be advised that on 20 August an atlas was stolen
from a private premises in Normandy in France. The atlas contains 48 maps in contemp. colours of all parts of the world by Hugo
Allardt and F.de Wit. The atlas has a manuscript index and is bound in contemp. brown calf. A list of the included maps is to be
found at < http://www.loeb-larocque.com/ENGstolen_atlas.html >.Please contact us if this atlas will be, or has been offered
to you:
Béatrice Loeb-Larocque, Librairie Loeb-Larocque,31 rue de Tolbiac, 75013 Paris France. Tél/FAX +33 (0)1 44.24.85.80" [via Map the Universe]
- < http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/2007_07/maps.html > 'Paper Trail. Close-ups -- and some recent history of
Sterling's rare maps' (Kathrin Day Lassila in the Yale Alumni Magazine, July/August 2007 [noted 2 August 2007]) - An account of
what has been done in Yale University's Sterling Memorial Library, post-Smiley. What was it like before? 'No lists of its patrons'
requests had been kept. Only a quarter of its 11,000 rare and antique maps had been entered into Orbis, Sterling's electronic
catalog. The card catalog proved strangely unreliable. So, in late July, as the FBI was pressing libraries everywhere to find out
whether they were missing any maps, Bill Reese [the book dealer consultant] came up with a shortcut. "I sat down and I said to
myself, ‘If I was Forbes Smiley, what would I steal?'"
Smiley had dealt principally in the rarest and most expensive antique American maps. Reese put together a list of about a hundred
likely targets. To find out which of them had once been in the collection but had disappeared, staff assistant Margit Kaye tracked
down old acquisitions records, and the staff pored over microfiche of the card catalog as it existed in 1978. All this research
was necessary because, disturbingly, the cards for many of the missing maps were themselves missing from the catalog ...
Today, Sterling and its storage space have been renovated. No one sees any of Sterling's rare maps without first signing a form
and listing the map requested. Patrons can see only one item at a time, and only while they themselves are under constant
surveillance by two video cameras. Two full-time catalogers are now at work in the collection, and the 11,000 rarities are their
main charge ...' The longer-term plan is to scan the 11,000 rare maps. [The full text also available via ExLibris.]
- < http://www.keepmecurrent.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=40984 > 'Author: Historical societies vulnerable' (David
Harry, 2 August 2007, Bridgton, Maine) - 'William D. Andrews, author of Stealing History, will speak to the Bridgton
Historical Society [on 5 August] ... reminding listeners of the importance of protecting the artifacts and documents ... "Societies do not
always have the capacity to preserve and protect," said Andrews, who added his inspiration for the novel came from news accounts
of thefts from local societies. The conviction of E. Forbes Smiley for stealing millions of dollars worth of maps from libraries
is almost as extreme as the premise of Stealing History, but his conviction and the book show the ease of concealing
documents that might be quickly sold to collectors and make historical societies inviting targets.'
- < http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070723/REPOSITORY/707230302 > 'State libraries must work to
thwart thieves' (Editorial in the 'Concord Monitor' [New Hampshire], 23 July 2007) - The example of Forbes Smiley is used to urge
libraries to put effort into cataloguing. Otherwise 'the rare maps and prints that can easily be excised from seldom-read books
are easy prey for a knowledgeable thief ... Searchable, online catalogs of a library or museum's contents make its easy for honest
dealers, other museums, researchers and law enforcement to identify stolen items.'
- There was a session on 'Library Security for Maps' during the annual conference of the American Library
Association (Washington, D.C., 21-27 June 2007), on which see the report by
April Carlucci, reproduced from Cartographiti.
- < http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-05252007-1352883.html > 'Stolen antique atlas, valued at $65k, recovered in
Philadelphia' (Associated Press, 25 May 2007) - an example of the 1823 New American Atlas by Henry Tanner, stolen in April
from the Historical Society of Rockland County, was recovered when it was offered for sale in Philadelphia. 'A former employee of
the Historical Society was trying to sell the book and is a suspect in the theft'. The original theft was reported (via ExLibris)
to the MapHist list. [For a fuller
account of the circumstances of the recovery, in which the circulation of details 'from a list of professional rare-book dealers'
[ExLibris] was crucial, see 'Stolen 1823 atlas recovered', in The Journal News (26 May 2007) <
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007705260369 >. The full text of which is available via ExLibris; and likewise a follow-up piece on June 1 from The Journal News.]
