• Forum Auctions
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    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Alken (Henry). Sporting Notions, first edition, T.McLean, 1832-33. £800 to £1,200.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Bardi (Lorenzo). Nuova Raccolta delle piu interessanti Vedute della Citta di Firenze…, Florence, Lorenzo Bardi, [c.1840]. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Crawfurd (John). Journal of an Embassy from the Governor-General of India to the Court of Ava..., first edition, 1829. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions
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    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Dawe (George, engraver). The Life of a Nobleman, first edition, Geo. Henderson, [c.1825]. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: [Doyle (John)], "H.B.". Political Sketches &c., 10 vol. including The Descriptive Key to H.B., Thomas McLean, [1829-51]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Eben (Adolphus Christian Frederick, Baron von) and Nicolaus Heideloff. Modèles de l'Uniforme Militaire Adopté dans l'Armée Royale de Suède, Rudolph Ackerman, 1808. £1,500 to £2,000.
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    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Geissler (J.G.G.) and Friedrich Hempel. Mahlerische Darstellungen der Sitten, Gebrauche und Lustbarkeiten bey den Russischen, Tartarischen…, 4 parts in 1, Leipzig and Paris, [1804]. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Hunt (Charles). Portraits of Winning Horses...of the Derby, Oaks, & St. Leger, from the Year 1842 to 1849…, Rock Brothers & Payne, 1849. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Kunike (Adolf Friedrich). Zwey hundert und sechzig Donau-Ansichten nach dem Laufe des Donaustromes…, Vienna, Leopold Grund, 1826. £3,000 to £5,000.
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    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Lasinio (Carlo). [Matrimony], Florence, 1790. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Reinhardt (Joseph). A Collection of Swiss Costumes, in Miniature, second English edition, James Goodwin, [1828]. £800 to £1,200.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Wengen (Gottfried Durst von). Die Öffentliche Maskerade Bamberg am Fastnachts-Montage 1833…, Bamberg, [1833]. £2,000 to £3,000.
  • Sotheby’s
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  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
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    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
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    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
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    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
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    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000

Rare Book Monthly

Articles - May - 2012 Issue

Tragic End to the Life of Shakespearean Book Thief

Raymond Scott and his Cuban girlfriend Heidi Rios.

It was a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare... along with a comedy of errors. The life of perhaps the most entertaining of book thieves came to a sad conclusion in March. When the jokes came to an end, and the reality of a surprisingly long prison sentence set in, Raymond Scott took his own life. Scott provided his native England with a year full of humor as he awaited trial for theft of a Shakespeare First Folio. It was a truly entertaining performance, worthy of the man whose book he purloined. Unfortunately, what lay behind his celebrity was theft, common theft except for the million dollar price tag on the item he stole. When the performance ended, and Scott was left with the isolation and bleakness of his punishment, it proved to be more than he could endure. Scott was not an evil man, just someone who needed to be born with a fortune. Unfortunately, like most of us, he missed out on having rich parents, so he attempted to make up for it in the wrong way.

Raymond Scott was born on February 12, 1957. His father was an electrical engineer, while his mother tended to the house. His father, Raymond Sr., was not a rich man, but made a good living, and saved his money. Raymond Jr. was not much like his father. He possessed little of the work and save ethic that made his father reasonably successful in life. In fact, he never really held down much of a job in his 55 years of life. He preferred the life of the landed gentry, even if his ship never landed.

His father's savings enabled Raymond to get by without seriously working. Over the years, he supplemented his income with petty thefts and shoplifting. At times they were as petty as a bottle of wine or a smoke detector. Big time criminal he was not. When his father died in 2004, he inherited some money which enabled him to afford a few more luxuries. He purchased a Ferrari, and was noted for appreciating fine liquor. Raymond also was able to supplement his income with a caregiver's allowance, a small sum paid regularly to people who take care of an elderly person. Raymond took care of his mother.

In December of 1998, a copy of the Shakespeare First Folio disappeared from the Durham University Library. The university was about 10 miles down the road from Scott's home. It does not appear that Scott's name ever came up in relation to its disappearance. Why would it? Scott was at best a petty thief, while the Durham First Folio, though certainly not a perfect copy, was still something like a million dollar-item. This was way beyond Scott's level.

Indeed, we may never know whether Scott actually stole the book himself. Even after he went to prison, he remained vague as to how he came in possession of the book, though his original explanation was clearly a fabrication. In fact, he was never convicted of stealing the First Folio. His conviction was for possession of stolen goods. One suspects he took advantage of lax security at the Durham Library and put the book away in some hidden space, hoping that in time, everyone would forget that the book had been stolen. There are many lesser books for which this might be the case, but not a First Folio. No one is going to buy one of those for anything approaching its value without some careful research into its past. Stolen First Folios may go missing, but they are never forgotten.

Despite an inheritance, caregiver's allowance, and the reduction in expenses that comes with living at home with Mom, Scott was still not able to cover his financial needs. He took to doing what the rest of us who are not criminals do – running up credit card debt. He reportedly owed something like $100,000 this way. Meanwhile, he took on the persona of an international playboy. He traveled to Cuba, where foreign currency is welcomed, and met a young lady who danced in a nightclub. She was roughly 30 years his junior, and quite an attractive lady. Scott, to no one's surprise, was smitten. He succeeded in securing the interest of someone out of his league, though he did so by false pretenses.

Scott's Cuban girlfriend believed he was an independently wealthy playboy. Unfortunately, credit card companies will only let you run up debt for so long. Scott needed some real cash, and it was probably this realization that led him to pull down that First Folio, now missing a decade, from his shelf. He must have believed enough time had elapsed to safely move his treasure along. He was, of course, wrong.

One afternoon in 2008, Raymond Scott, a completely unknown person in the book world, or on any stage beyond the petty offenses section of his local police department, walked into the Folger Library in Washington D.C. The Folger is noted for having the largest collection of Shakespeare First Folios anywhere on Earth – by far. It holds around a third of the 232 copies known to still exist. He said he was seeking authentication of his copy. Of course, Scott would have known his copy was authentic. He knew from where it had come. What he undoubtedly was really looking for was a buyer. A lot of financial problems can quickly disappear if you have a First Folio to sell.

What Scott may not have realized is that the Folger's experts would do more than just authenticate his copy. They would also check to see if it matched up with anything in the stolen book databases. That was where it had been noted that the Durham copy had been stolen, and their expert compared Scott's copy for attributes of the missing Durham copy. Voila! A match. But not a match made in heaven for Raymond Scott. This was no match like the one he found with Cuban dancer Heidy Rios.

Scott had a story concocted to explain his possession of the valuable book. He claimed it was entrusted to him by a friend of Ms. Rios. It had been sitting in Cuba for generations. The family knew it was valuable, but Cuba being a Communist country and all, they couldn't get it out. So, they gave it to this “wealthy” British playboy who would be able to sneak it out of the country for them. No one was convinced. It perfectly matched the Durham copy, which had only been missing for ten years, not generations. In a few places, tell-take markings had been removed, including a page. Nevertheless, there were plenty of unique attributes to clearly identify that this copy had not come from the friend of a Cuban girlfriend thousands of miles away, but from a university library just ten miles down the road from Scott's home.

When he returned to England, Scott was arrested, and plans for a trial began. This involved several pretrial court appearances, and this is where Scott really became a celebrity. For once in his life, Scott was going to inhabit the public stage like an international playboy. He arrived in court in various flamboyant costumes. One time, evidently in deference to his Cuban explanation, he arrived in a stretch Humvee. He was dressed in a military outfit, evidently patterned on Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara, though it is not known whether Guevara carried a couple of champagne bottles in his hand like Scott. More likely, Guevara would have shared Scott's love for a good cigar. On another occasion, Scott arrived in a horse-drawn carriage, a lovely “assistant” by his side. He was dressed in a kilt. He must have been reveling in his Scottish heritage.

When not dressed in period costume, Scott would arrive in expensive clothing, sometimes with huge fur collars, and designer sunglasses. He would regale and entertain the press with his humor, all the while maintaining his innocence. It appeared he lived a charmed life, at least for as long as he could put off the day of judgment. However, there comes a day of reckoning, and Scott's came in August of 2010. Neither judge nor jury were buying Scott's fanciful tale of Cuban intrigue. They looked at the identifying markers in the First Folio, and undoubtedly Scott's close proximity to Durham University, and came down with the only decision a reasonable jury could reach. Scott was found guilty.


Posted On: 2020-09-20 15:20
User Name: brianr

Nothing tragic about Scott's death, I went to school with him. He was was a nutcase who contributed nothing to society.


Posted On: 2022-10-26 12:02
User Name: raymondscott

As a graduate of English literature who specializes in Shakespearean literature I daily handle several editions of Shakespeare's First Folio
and I know exactly which edition is the most authorative in terms of editorial theory and the closest we have or are likely to have to any
final published text authorized by the author, in the sense that it is the published text authorized on the author's death by his friends
and closest colleagues, such as John Heminges and Henry Condell, prominent members of William Shakespeare's company who performed his plays.
The First Folio of Shakespeare's Plays or Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies by William Shakespeare was published in 1623 in London.
For readers that are not familiar with the First Folio, the First Folio is the very first published collection of Shakespeare's plays.
It was compiled by John Heminges and Henry Condell who were William Shakespeare's friends and colleagues during his lifetime.
It is believed that 750 copies of the First Folio were published back in 1623 and there are only 235 copies known to exist today.
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. owns 82 of them and their books are all in far worse condition than this edition.
As a professional expert I own and use many prestigious editions daily. While I enjoy them all, I am particularly fond of this volume.
If you want an edition that has the look and feel of the original 17th century First Folio your best choice is ISBN 9789464437539 of
which I recently acquired this hardcover and that is now the pride of my bookshelf showing to relatives, friends and visitors of my home.
It is first and foremost a paragon of scholarship, though I admit that it is perhaps of limited interest to many in some of its aspects.
Dealing with the many variants found in the various editions of the First Folio, it might seem rather medieval in some respects.
Simply put, it is a First Folio that was made up of the best pages of all First Folios available and not just at the Folger Library.
The book is large, maybe somewhat unwieldy, and the style is unusual to read by today's standards, but on the whole it is a work of art.
This edition is the closest you'll ever get to owning your own First Folio, perhaps the Best Folio that will ever be available.
I enjoy reading and owning fine books. This volume is definitely as finely made as a First Folio of Shakespeare is likely to get.
It is beautifully bound in a fine, contemporary gilted binding and the book in its entirety is a pleasure to own and use.
For those readers who care for such things, this very impressive book will soon become the pride of any bookshelf.


Rare Book Monthly

  • Forum Auctions
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    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
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    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
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    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
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    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.
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