Shakespearean Suspect Arrives at Court in His Carriage
- by Michael Stillman
Suspect Raymond Scott and "Research Assistant "Claire Smith arrive at court.
By Michael Stillman
Raymond Scott is no common thief. Whether he is a most uncommon one, time will tell, but the man accused of stealing a Shakespeare First Folio valued at several million dollars from England's Durham University is certainly no ordinary suspect. Scott topped his previous arrival to a court hearing in a stretch limo by arriving in a horse-drawn carriage, he and his "research assistant," Claire Smith, sipping from a bottle of Drambuie. A bagpipe player led the two-horse carriage, while a driver and bodyguard named "Tiny" sat up front. The 52-year-old Scott, and his attractive 29-year-old assistant, rode in back. Scott and Smith further played up his Scottish connection by wearing kilts and various other very Scotch looking plaid accessories.
Scott stated that he had considered arriving in a toga, like Julius Caesar, in honor of the columns at the Durham courthouse, "but of course he gets a knife between the blades." What's more, "I don't look all that nice in a toga," and "it was just a bugger trying to find a chariot." Scott concluded his entrance to the court by reciting lines from MacBeth and singing "My Way" with a Frank Sinatra tribute singer.
Scott explained his dramatic arrival by announcing, "It's a rather dull grey world, all in all, and I like to add a little bit of color (or, being British, he probably said "colour"). Even if I had been accused of stealing a tin of corned beef from Tesco's, I'd arrive in such fashion."
Raymond Scott was arrested a year ago after bringing a Shakespeare First Folio to the Folger Library in Washington, D.C., for authentication. Scott claimed to have received it from a Cuban girlfriend whose family was unable to take it out of the country because of that nation's travel restrictions. The Folger, as one might expect, not only proceeded to authenticate the copy, but run it past their list of missing copies of this item. What their experts concluded was that this was the copy which had been stolen from Durham University about a decade earlier. Suspicions about Scott were only increased by the fact that, coincidentally or not, Scott lives in rural England only a dozen miles from Durham University, and it is not clear how, with apparently limited legitimate income and personal wealth, he is able to live a fairly lavish lifestyle. Nonetheless, Scott has steadfastly maintained his innocence, providing lots of entertaining press along the way.
No official pleas were entered at the court hearing though Scott answered his identity questions with a properly Scottish "aye." He was ordered to return in October for official pleas but the trial itself will not be held until next summer. The prosecution needs to gather evidence from the U.S. and Cuba as well as Durham. Meanwhile, we can expect the eccentric book collector from County Durham to provide us with more comic relief worthy of Shakespeare.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
