Shelf:Life notes a bulletin put out by Judith Barnes, Collection Security Coordinator at the British Library: "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 geographie ancienne et moderne ... et les mœurs ... 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."
Mallet's Description de l’univers, a five-volume set containing some 677 plates, is a quite rare, quite valuable work (three copies are listed on AddAll today with prices ranging from $24,000 to 30,000). When I checked WorldCat to verify the title I clicked through to Yale's catalog record for this set: their copy was marked "missing" in September 2003.
More as I get it.
