While sorting through the returns pile last week, librarians at the Meath County library in Ireland came across a rare book that had been borrowed eighty years ago and never returned. The book was a pictorial record of the Eucharistic Congress held in Dublin in 1932 (notably, this was only 10 years after Ireland became a free state) and was borrowed from the library just a few months after the event took place, but was never returned. The library lost any record of the original borrower, who had racked up $5,144 in late fees, but with the safe return of the book, the library has decided to waive all fees (not that they would know who to charge!). It will not, however, be available for loan in the future, but will remain in the library's reference collection. The return of the book to its rightful owner is timely considering that the Eucharistic Congress will return to Dublin in two weeks (the Congress in 1932 was the last time the event took place in Ireland). Book Returned to Library After 80 Years [more Talk About Overdue: Book Returned After 80 Years]
A message from ILAB President Arnoud Gerits regarding the massive thefts at the Girolamini Library in Naples. Shortly after the reopening of the Girolamini Library in Naples in April of 2012 the Director, Marino Massimo de Caro, announced that 1500 books were missing (April 17). On April 20 the Library was closed by the Naples Public Prosecutor. Marino Massimo de Caro has been suspended and was investigated for embezzlement. On May 18, 1000 books, 240 of which have ownership stamps from the Girolamini Library were found in storage in Massimo Marino de Caro’s home city of Verona, and on May 24 Mr. de Caro was arrested on the charge of embezzlement along with four others; a search warrant is out for a fifth. In the meantime Massimo Marino de Caro has confessed to the theft of thousands of books from the library and is cooperating with police in tracing them. A number of stolen items from the library have been confiscated by the authorities in Munich (16 items), London (28 items), New York and Tokyo(uncertain numbers). According to what is currently known and what Massimo Marino de Caro has confessed so far, it is very likely that the number of stolen books from the Girolamini Library is higher than 1500 but no definitive list of missing items has been published by Italian authorities so far. It appears also to be clear that the stolen books were spread out via the trade in several countries, in both Europe and elsewhere. A number of the books can be recognized... [more Massive Thefts at the Girolamini Library in Naples]
Over the weekend the original cover artwork for Tintin in America (1932) sold at the Paris Artcurial auction for $1.6 million (1.3 million Euros), setting the new record for comic book art. The previous record had been set in 2008 by the sale of the same artwork for $973,000. The record for American comic book art was set last year when a splash page from The Dark Knight Returns (1986) sold for $448,125. Tintin in America is the third volume of the Tintin adventure books by creator Herge, and the aforementioned drawing was done in Indian ink and gouache. Only five covers are known to exist and two of them are owned privately. Tintin Art Sale Sets Record with $1.6 Million [more "Tintin in America" Cover Art Sets New Record]
The following item has been reported stolen: Title : Methode Nouvelle de dresser des Recueuils communiquée par l’Auteur. Authors : , J. Le Clerc and J. C. de la Croze, (eds.) Date of publication : 1687 Publisher : Wolfgang, Waesberg, Boom, & van Someren., Amsterdam Description : Bibliothèque Universelle et Historique de l’Année M.D.C. LXXXVI. Tome Second. Seconde Edition revuë & corrigée. If you have any information on this item, please contact Blackwell's Rare Books at rarebooks@blackwell.co.uk [more Stolen: Methode Nouvelle de dresser des Recueuils communiquée par l’Auteur]
William Haley, the son of Malcolm X's biographer Alex Haley, is asking Syracuse University to return a letter to his family and plans to make a legal claim if the request is denied. Alex Haley co-authored The Autobiography of Malcolm X, which he based on a series of in-depth interviews with the famed leader (Haley is also the author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family). Mr. Haley died in 1992. Malcolm X penned the letter in question to Haley while in Saudi Arabia after a pilgrimage to Mecca in April of 1964, only ten months before his assassination. In it Malcolm X spoke of his changing views on race relations, prompted by his journey and spending time with Muslims "whose skin was the whitest of white." He wrote, "In fact, what I have seen and experienced on this pilgrimage has forced me to 're arrange' much of my thought patterns, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions." The letter was forwarded on to Grove Press, the publisher of the autobiography, so that it could be included in the 1965 first printing. Grove subsequently donated the archive related to the book to Syracuse University in 1969. Gregory J. Reed, William Haley's attorney, claims the publisher never had legal title to the letter, rather that Haley only lent it to Grove for inclusion in the autobiography. Reed believes the letter is worth at least $650,000 and plans to make a legal claim if Syracuse is unwilling to return it to the Haley family. The senior director of Special Collections Research... [more Legal Dispute Over Malcolm X Letter]
Ok, I'm putting it out there. I love literature, art, and music, and I am lucky enough to be a part of the fascinating world of rare books, but my guilty pleasure is what many colleagues would categorize as decidedly lowbrowI love the Real Housewives franchise. Imagine my excitement, then, at seeing my cultural worlds collide in the following promotional video for the Great River Shakespeare Festival. (Even if you're not a fan of the Bravo series, you'll likely get a chuckle.) The Real Housewives of Shakespeare Great River Shakespeare Festival [more Watch: The Real Housewives of Shakespeare]
Last April, ground was broken in Mount Vernon and construction of the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington commenced. The library will be a repository for Mount Vernon's vast collection of books, manuscripts, and archival materials, and will be open to students, scholars, and other special groups. It is slated to open in September of 2013. Perhaps the most interesting wing will be the replication of George Washington's own personal library, all 1,200 books, a project spearheaded by James Rees, president and chief executive of the Mount Vernon Estate, Museum, and Gardens. Washington's books were all catalogued prior to his death in 1799, making the replication possible. After his passing the books were split amongst family members, but by 1848 most had been acquired by Henry Stevens, a well known rare bookseller and bibliographer. Stevens made it known that he planned to sell the collection to the British Museum and a group in Boston was able to raise the funds necessary to purchase the collection. It was then donated to the Boston Athenaeum, where is remains today. Mount Vernon only has 50 original copies and 450 duplicate additions, but hopes to acquire the rest from the Athenaeum through purchases and/or donations. Otherwise, they will scan the books and replicate originals by putting them into an 18th century binding, complete with endpaper, leather, and gold tooling. A handful of the books include: a play by Plutarch; a history of Cinncinatus;... [more Washington's Private Library Replicated at Mount Vernon]
This item was still reported missing as of June 11, 2019. The following item has been reported stolen: Title : Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Authors : Carroll, Lewis Date of publication : circa 1940 Publisher : Doubleday Doran & Co, New York Description : Fine copy. If you have any information regarding this book, please contact Paul Foster at Info@paulfosterbooks.com [more Stolen: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]
This past February, librarians at the Russian State Polytechnical Museum Library in Moscow were preparing their collection for relocation to a temporary depository when they made a surprising discovery. Behind one of the emptied stacks a librarian noticed a plywood wall that sounded hollow when knocked upon. The cover was moved aside and revealed a number of books. As librarians dug deeper and removed the entire wall, they uncovered a 6.5 foot long hiding place that housed 30,000 books printed before the Russian Revolution in 1917. The books were almost exclusively in foreign languages. Svetlana Kukhtevich, deputy director of the Polytechnic Library, explained that "scientists and generally educated people of the 19th century spoke several languages and there was no need to publish books in Russian." The majority of the books were printed in the late 19th and early 20th century, but the oldest book in the collection, "Description of Picteresque Areas Occupied by Germany", was published in 1706. (Don't you love the titles of 18th century books?!) The state fund was responsible for all book collections nationalized during and following the revolution, and most of the hidden books were transferred to the Polytechnical Library from the fund. A number of volumes still contained bookplates, which indicate the original owners. The best part is that librarians later discovered another hollow sounding plywood wall within the archives that revealed two additional niches stuffed with 19... [more Secret Wall in Russian Library Reveals Hidden Trove of Books]
A rare watercolor of the Brontë sisters is scheduled to be auctioned on Thursday by JP Humbert Auctioneers in England. The painting was originally set to be sold last month, but was pulled at the last moment as auctioneers tried to establish a more direct link to the supposed artist, Sir Edwin Landseer. The painting had been previously attributed by the National Portrait Gallery after four years of research by the vendor, but the auction house wanted to make certain that the link between the artist and the Brontë sisters was as solid as it seemed. John Humbert, of JP Humbert Auctioneers, says that experts have now confirmed the painting was done by Sir Edwin Landseer and is strongly believed to be of the famous sisters. "We have spent quite some time trying to establish a link between Landseer and the Brontes and after cross referencing with other known pictures by Landseer, we are confident that we have a strong argument that this picture is as important as we hoped," Humbert said. Mr. Humbert went on to say that thre has been international interest in the item and it is expected to raise between �20,000 and �30,000 ($31,580-$47,370). Brontës watercolour up for auction [more Watercolor of Brontë Sisters to be Auctioned]