Links & Reviews

- The panels from this fall's "Why Books?" conference (my report) are now available in iTunes, so if you missed it, you can catch up on the excellent talks.

- One of the Transylvania Four thieves has self-published a book about the heist, Mr. Pink (available from several Kentucky bookstores, not that I'm recommending purchasing it). Travis McDade recaps the thefts and comments on Allen's book in an NPR segment (mp3).

- In the Telegraph, a look ahead to the new books that will hit (UK) shelves in 2011.

- AE Monthly reports that Sir Evelyn de Rothschild and the auction house Dominic Winter have settled their lawsuit, which stems from the David Slade thefts.

- The NYTimes "Windows on the World" series features Jorge Luis Borges' library window.

- Also in AE Monthly, Bruce McKinney reflects on the "American Experience" sale at Bonhams in December (my report), noting that overall the sale brought a 20% premium over the original purchase prices, and that the "high spots" continued to sell well while "less rare" items fell behind.

- In the NYTimes this week, some excellent coverage for the Bentham Project's crowdsourced transcription efforts.

- From BibliOdyssey, some early natural history watercolors from a South Carolina artist.

- "Arts & Letters Daily" editor Denis Dutton has died. The Chronicle of Higher Education has signaled that it will continue the site.

- Alberto Manguel has posted a list [PDF] of his hundred favorite books.

- The Top 500 Auction sales for 2010, as tracked by Michael Stillman. Number 500 sold for $47,806, an 8.5% rise over last year.

- Durham University has revealed its plans for restoration work on its recovered First Folio, including paper repairs and a new binding. Meanwhile, Raymond Scott speaks to the Sunday Sun about his time in prison, noting a visit to the prison library where he jokingly tried to make off with a copy of Shakespeare's works. This interview seems to contradict the last Scott rumor we had, that he was working in the prison library).

- Daniel Mendelsohn's piece in this week's New Yorker on the Vatican Library and its staff is absolutely a must-read (it's not all online, so go buy the magazine or subscribe online). Also check out the slideshow of Vatican manuscripts.

Reviews

- Robert Morrison's The English Opium-Eater; review by Michael Dirda in the WaPo.

- The Autobiography of Mark Twain; review by James Campbell in the Telegraph.

- Pauline Maier's Ratification; review by Rosemary Zagarri in the WaPo.

ABA Works to Undo Slade Thefts

The Antiquarian Booksellers Association has taken steps to recover items stolen from Sir Evelyn de Rothschild by former ABA president David Slade. Slade was sentenced to a 28-month prison term back in February for the admitted thefts of at least 71 rare books from Rothschild's library, which he then sold via the Dominic Winter auction house. Antiques Trade Gazette reports that 14 of the 71 items have been returned, and that the ABA has urged its member booksellers who purchased and resold the stolen items to recover them if possible.

The report adds "In their turn, Dominic Winter have consulted counsel, and while the case remains too complex at present to offer a black-and-white resolution, they wrote in mid-May to all purchasers, pointing out that while they take every precaution regarding title – all vendors must sign up to this effect – they do not guarantee lots. In this instance, they say that they too have been victims of the deceit and their advice to clients is that any claims should be made against David Slade."

[h/t Shelf:Life]

Slade Sentenced

Former head of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association David Slade was sentenced this afternoon to a prison term of twenty-eight months for the theft of books from the library of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild. A report in The Times reveals some of the titles in question: "Among the books put up for auction between 2003 and 2007 [at Dominic Winter] were a Chaucer title sold for £15,000, another book entitled Voyages from Athens to Constantinople, which fetched £33,000, and four gospels that sold for £21,000. In addition an autographed 1st edition of Seven Pillars of Wisdom by TE Lawrence was auctioned for £22,000."

Slade pleaded guilty to stealing the books during a period when he'd been hired to catalog the collection. The thefts were later discovered when the collection was inventoried.

Judge Christopher Tyrer told Slade "There was no question of you having any permission to remove them. Instead what you indulged in was significant plundering of Sir Evelyn’s books and did so over a significant period of time and in flagrant breach of the employment you had undertaken."Judge Tyrer also ordered that the unsold books be returned and that the Lawrence title be returned by its purchaser. No word on the other titles which were sold.

Slade's attorney told the court "David Slade is nearing his 60th birthday and is a ruined man and he knows it. He faces losing at least £100,000 of his assets and it is of deepest shame to him and his family that he is here. At a time when most men his age are looking forward to retirement he knows he faces financial ruin and a prison sentence." He claimed that Slade's actions were motivated by a desire to pay down credit card debt.

It's hard to say anything about this case other than wow.

Guardian Comments on Book Thefts

The Guardian's crime correspondent, Sandra Laville, has a column today on library thefts, including updates on William Simon Jacques (aka still on the run) and Farhad Hakimzadeh, plus some new news about a case which had slipped under my radar, that of David Slade.

Slade, 59, is the former head of the ABA and a longtime antiquarian book dealer in England. He stole 68 books from the collections of financier Sir Evelyn de Rothschild (he'd been hired to catalogue the collection and swiped the items on the sly), and sold them at auction. He pled guilty after Rothschild discovered the books were missing during an inventory. Laville points out that this case - and it's a doozy - has received "no publicity" to date, which is true, and regrettable.

Laville: "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.'"

All fair points, and all reasons that those of us who work hard to make these cases public do what we do. 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.

But the media also plays a role here: The Guardian reaches a whole lot more people than my posts do, so it cannot just be dealers, auctioneers, librarians and collectors who talk about these matters amongst themselves (although that is a terribly important component). Laville and her counterparts at other news organizations should take these thefts as seriously as we do, and write about them more often. 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.

There is no quick fix to the problem. As long as there are books and libraries, there will always be book thieves. Those of us charged with the protection of our cultural heritage must, indeed, raise our voices still louder to demand strong punishments for who seek to steal and damage. But we cannot do it alone.