The Tucson citizen., 1902-01-30
NOTED BOOK THIEVES
HISTORICAL FIGURES WHO STOLE
UNIQUE VOLUMES.

Book stealing Is an art upon which
much ingenuity has been expended.
One never knows in what form it will
next break out. II is an incident by no
means uncommon in Booksellers row
for bblopoe to be offered a book
which had been stolen from his next
door neighbor. There is something
more than tradition to the effect that
book seller has on occasion purchased
book taken q minute OF two previous
sy from the shelves outside his shop!
A favorite mode of stealing books
from public libraries is to procure n
book, sit down to read 1t and then
wrap it UP in an oycrCo0t and after
dhls TO take up paper or magazine,
Thc rest is easily guessed, The public
libraries suffer in all sorts of ways, for
here the accumulated wisdom of the
thicf finds plenty of scope Some of
Abe tribe have Il mania for old dirccto-
rics Librarians complain frequently
ef the clerical thief OF sermons and
theological literature.
Novels and books of tho bibll0philc"
tns the French call them one can un-
dcrstaud being stolen. but sermons
and theology, Women. more or less
generally more respectfully dressed.
are often objects Of suspicion with IL
hrariaus for the "receptivity" of cloaks
Is infinite. and the feelings" OF the
culprit must also be considered. AS
general rule. the thief is we'll dressed
ard educated and frequently well to
do
Whatever may be the causes which
prompt n person to steal books. there
is always this consolation -- he Is In
good company. This balm may not be
n very healing one TO the soul Of the
person whose books are stolen. but 1t
must he consolatory to the thief when
repentinG in prison TO know that some
great and good men have been touched
with the same species OF Insanity.
Hearne, In his johannes Glastoni-
ensis." more than hints that Sir Thom-
as Bodley had a weakness in this di-
rection. "If you hold" he warns Sir
Henry Saville, "any book so deare as
that you would bee loath to have him
out of your sight. set him aside" etc.
Moore, bishop of Ely. has likewise
come under such stigma. The anec-
&iote runs to this effect: A gentleman
calling on a friend who had very
choice library found him unusually
busy In putting bis best books out of
sight. Upon asking his view In this he
was answered, Don't you know the
bishop Of ~- dimes with me today"
The very king of book stealers was
Iibri, who, as Inspector general of
French libraries under Louis Philippe.
had special facilities for helping him.
self and whose known thefts have been
valued at 100000 The most interesting
illustration of this mans depredations
was exposed In 1868. when Lord Ash
burnham issued translation of the
Pentateuch from Latin manuscript
which had been purchased by the late
lord Asbburnham from Libri who had
sold 1t under the condition that 1t was
not to be published for twenty years
1t had been stolen in 1S47 from the
Lyons library, and the last clause of
the agreement, therefore, could be cas-
ily understood. Libri evidently was not
one of those whom Jules Janin de-
scribcs rs people who don't think 1t
fhieving to steal book unless you sell
1T afterward"
Innocent y, when still Mgr. Pam
phiIio. stole n book from Du Mouster,
who was himself a book thief and
ought to have been Ell courant with the
devices and designs Of his own weak
ncsses. 1t is refreshing to come across
an example when the tables are so
completely turned. and IL anything
would induce an honest man to turn
book thief it should be the exhilarat-
ing fun of stealing from another thief.
IT is reported. however, that Du Nous
Hier recovered the book and thrust the
cardinal out Of the house.
Catherine de- Medici went in for steal
Ing books by wholesale and barefaced.
She seized the fine library of Marshal
Strozzi and promised to pay his son for
1t in installments, but never a farthng
did he get
OF another and equally extreme type
was the Spanish priest Don Vincento,
who sold books and then murdered the
purchasers to regain possession of his
coveted treasures. Like most of the
bihlioklept tribe. he came to grief at
last. The original edition Q4S2J of the
"Furs ordinations fetes per los glori-
osos Reys de Arago ais regnicois del
Rcgne de Valencia" was offered for
sale by auction and after long and
obstinate competition was knocked
Gown to bookseller named Paxtot.
A week after paxtot's shop was
burned down, and he was suffocated
at the same time. Suspicion was di-
rected toward Don Ninccnto, whose
residence was searched, and there ut
length was discovered the incunabule
above named The priest was arrest.
ed. and at the hearing he confessed.
not from contrition or the fear of tor
Taents In the next world. but because
it appeared that the volume was not
unique. as had been supposed. He sob
bed violently when he was condemned
to be Strang1pd and the only defense