Rare Book Monthly

Articles - February - 2025 Issue

Two More Arrests Made in European Library Thefts

Some of the books from the earlier seizure (Europol photo).

Some of the books from the earlier seizure (Europol photo).

Two more arrests have been made in the European country of Georgia in the massive library theft ring that stole books from libraries in nine countries. At least 170 books were stolen. At the time, the estimated value of the books was $2.8 million.

Last April, in a coordinated raid with the assistance of Europol and Eurojust, 100 officers searched 27 locations in Georgia and Latvia. One hundred-fifty books were seized. The focus was on Russian books, which could more readily be sold in that country without being traced. Recently, two more alleged thieves were charged in Georgia. The Prosecution Service of Georgia published a report on the case as follows. 

“The Prosecution Service of Georgia, with the involvement of an international investigative team established with the support of Eurojust, has initiated criminal proceedings against two more individuals regarding the theft of valuable books from libraries in EU countries, while charges have also been brought against two individuals for additional episodes. 

“The investigation conducted by the Investigative Division of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia has revealed that in 2022, Georgian citizens established an organized criminal group with the intention of stealing valuable 19th-century books by various authors across Europe for the purpose of subsequent resale. To achieve this, members of the organized group used fake identification documents, fictitious names and surnames, and pre-prepared counterfeit samples of books to replace the originals.

“According to the criminal plan, members of the organized group were to take books by 19th-century classical authors from national and university libraries in France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Finland for reading, and then secretly replacing them with high-quality copies of the original books. In this way, members of the organized group acquired books worth hundreds of thousands of euros from libraries in various cities across Europe in 2022-2023.”

Previously, five persons were charged with the crimes. They face potential sentences of 6-10 years in prison.

For an earlier report on this story, click here.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Old World Auctions (Feb 12):
    Lot 746. Speed's Dual Atlas of Britain & the World with 96 Maps (1676). Est. $70,000 - $85,000
    Old World Auctions (Feb 12):
    Lot 9. Visscher's Superb Double-Hemisphere World Map with Representations of the Elements (1658). Est. $4,750 - $6,000
    Old World Auctions (Feb 12):
    Lot 58. One of the Most Important 16th Century Maps of the New World (1554). Est. $5,000 - $6,000
    Old World Auctions (Feb 12):
    Lot 745. A Complete Example of Ortelius' Atlas of Ancient Geography (1624). Est. $12,000 - $15,000
    Old World Auctions (Feb 12):
    Lot 73. First English Map to Show California as an Island (1625). Est. $16,000 - $19,000
    Old World Auctions (Feb 12):
    Lot 156. Bachmann's Dramatic View of the Mid-Atlantic Region (1861). Est. $1,800 - $2,200
    Old World Auctions (Feb 12):
    Lot 741. Early Announcement of Continental Congress' Declaration of Independence (1776). Est. $9,000 - $11,000
    Old World Auctions (Feb 12):
    Lot 695. The First Printed Map Devoted to the Pacific (1589). Est. $8,000 - $9,500
    Old World Auctions (Feb 12):
    Lot 733. Superb Image of the Presentation of Jesus in Hand Color (1502). Est. $700 - $850
    Old World Auctions (Feb 12):
    Lot 52. Produced by the Psychological Warfare Branch to Encourage Surrender (1945). Est. $200 - $230
  • Il Ponte, Feb. 25-26: ALDROVANDI, Ulisse (1522-1605) - [Opera omnia]. Bologna: Bellagamba, Benacci, Bonomi, Tebaldini, Ferroni, 1599-1668. €22.000-€28.000
    Il Ponte, Feb. 25-26: [CANALETTO] - VISENTINI, Antonio (1688-1782) da Giovanni Antonio CANAL (1697-1768, detto 'Il Canaletto') - Urbis Venetiarum prospectus celebriores. Venezia: Giovanni Battista Pasquale, 1742-51. €7.000-€10.000
    Il Ponte, Feb. 25-26: LA FONTAINE, Jean de (1621-1695) - Fables Choisies. Parigi: Claude Barbin, 1668. €7.000-€10.000
    Il Ponte, Feb. 25-26: MERCATOR, Rumold (1545-1599) - [I continenti] - Europa; Africa; America Sive India Nova; Asia. Amsterdam: S.d. [ca. 1633]. €2.000-€3.000
  • Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: The Shem Tov Bible, 1312 | A Masterpiece from the Golden Age of Spain. Sold: 6,960,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Ten Commandments Tablet, 300-800 CE | One of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes. Sold: 5,040,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: William Blake | Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Sold: 4,320,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: The Declaration of Independence | The Holt printing, the only copy in private hands. Sold: 3,360,000 USD
    Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: Thomas Taylor | The original cover art for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Sold: 1,920,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Machiavelli | Il Principe, a previously unrecorded copy of the book where modern political thought began. Sold: 576,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Leonardo da Vinci | Trattato della pittura, ca. 1639, a very fine pre-publication manuscript. Sold: 381,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Henri Matisse | Jazz, Paris 1947, the complete portfolio. Sold: 312,000 EUR

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