July 22, 2010
Book thievery
Nicknamed the Tome Raider, William Jacques had form in library crime - having already served a four-year sentence for stealing books worth £1m in the late 1990s.More on theft in the antiquarian book trade in the BBC News Magazine.Despite his prison term, it seems Jacques could not give up his habit of lifting notable works of literature.
The 41-year-old has been sentenced to another jail term, of three-and-a-half years, after targeting the the Royal Horticultural Society's Lindley library. Signing in under the false name of Santoro, he simply stuffed books under his jacket before marching out.
Posted by David on July 22, 2010 9:01 AM
In a world that less and less values "books" in a paper or other real page form, the loss of unique volumes to theft is likely to increase over time, if only because attrition will make them even rarer and more valuable. The loss of well illustrated volumes, simply to rip out plates and frame them as "art" continues, I think, at a very alarming pace. Here too, it is likely that "loss" from theft for the "art" is likely to increase over time. Kindle reading cannot be hung on walls or stored on shelves.
Posted by: Donald Wolberg on July 24, 2010 9:05 AM
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