GeorgeH Loc: Jonesboro, GA

My Brother sent me this from Pittsburg. He is a bibliophile, I'm a retired Librarian, so we both were aghast. Dean and I both had enjoyed shopping at the Caliban bookstore, so we take it personally!

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/21/us/rare-books-stolen-pittsburgh.html

This is ... obscene. Not just the thievery, but the mutilation of some of the items stolen. We librarians consider ourselves as guardians of the treasures of the past and present; the treasures to be passed on intact to future generations. "Intact." To mutilate a rare book or document is vile. From my own experience: Many years ago my thesis advisor at U of R, Welford Taylor, called to say that he had a few Cabell books at a good price. Naturally I bought them, only to realize much later that one item, with wood veneer boards, etc, should have had a tipped in signed photograph of Cabell. Not my copy! I feel that Dr Taylor, a fine man, didn't realize the desecration of this book. While my book hardly compares to the Gutenberg Bible, it should not have been violated.

Surely the owner of Caliban Books should have had a sense of ethics which would have sent him to call the police, rather than aid and abet a thief. But perhaps he had been subsumed by the ethos of Caliban, Shakespeare's savage. "O Brave New World..." to quote Miranda.

blue-ultra Loc: New Hampshire

Very, very sad...

one shot Loc: Pisgah Forest NC

Greed knows no boundaries. I'm sure the money can't make up for the shame inflicted on his family.

Dirtmama834 Loc: Hurricane, Utah

This is such a disappointment. I work in a library, not as a librarian but I am in charge of our archive collection. I protect those books with all that I am. I have been here 19 years and I absolutely love those books and show them to people with pride. I simply cannot understand how that man could throw away his entire career over a few extra dollars. Worse, to destroy those treasures is truly the worst thing possible. Why anyone would buy such property is beyond me. My heart aches over this news.

GeorgeH Loc: Jonesboro, GA

This sort of thing happens all too often. I recall a case in Virginia; a dental student at MCV - Medical College of Virginia - was found to have been stealing and selling rare books and manuscripts. He did some prison time and was bounced from the dental program, of course. He'll never follow his career path - that is the legal one.

GeorgeH Loc: Jonesboro, GA

Fortunately, as detailed in the NYT story some items were recovered, in some cases at considerable cost to those buyers who didn't know they were stolen. Good to see the honest and ethical dealers step up. I'd imagine that selling a copy of Principia Mathematica would - or should! - be difficult without proper provenance. At least that's what I'd hope! How could anyone sell a purloined Gutenberg Bible, for example?

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Some "collector" rich enough to think they can get away with it and would never or rarely show the item to anyone - they just want to own it. And if they live in another country where they are "connected" they probably will get away with it. Though rare books and art are important to many people, they are not considered important enough to disrupt nation to nation relationships or risk armed conflict. Unless of course they were stolen from one of those "connected" people. Then the rules change.

GeorgeH Loc: Jonesboro, GA

Sadly you are completely correct. And of course your thesis cannot be really tested, unless someone rats out the collector.

DAN Phillips Loc: Graysville, GA

I understand your feelings. A few years ago the USPS lost a huge box of the original "Peterson Field Guides" I was sending to my daughter who was in Memphis, TN at the time. Some of the books were 1st edition and irreplaceable. All I got back was part of a shipping label with no explanation. There were 33 books in that box. How do you loose something that big? My feeling is that it was not lost but rather stolen by a postal employee. I have had no respect for the USPS since and will never use them to ship anything, including a dead spider. As far as I'm concerned it is a money loosing business and should be closed immediately. Let UPS and Fed Ex take it over and it would be profitable. Sorry for the rant, but it chills my crap everytime I think about it.

SonyBug

And you did not think to just drive the "irreplaceable" books to her. So she could store them in a fire safe?

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

This type of theft is all too common. There are probably 100's unknown. Man Who Loved Books too Much and A Gentle Madness are good reads on the subject. Bill

DAN Phillips Loc: Graysville, GA

YEP! I was working full time then and thought this would be more efficeint. OOOPS!

Quinn 4

People are still burning books and banning books here in the USA.

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

Some maybe on UHH? I burned Readers Digest Condensed Books in an airtight stove. Very economical heat. Bill

wayne barnett Loc: Grants Pass, Oregon

Rare and old books are only valuable if someone wants them. I have a collection of old and some hard to get books in paleontology and can not find a dealer that is interested. I have been told that my type of literature does not even bring appraised value at auction. Many publications are being digitized and can be downloaded for free. Hard to compete.