Gardnerville record. (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1898-1902, 1902-03-28
NOTED BOOK THIEVES
HISTORICAL FIGURES Wsa s19zE
UNIQUE VOLUMES.

King Of the B1bltOktept TrtDe-A
Cardinal. "A bishop and n Priest tn
fected With the Annia.
much ingenuity has been expended.
One never knows IN what form 1t viii
next break out. 1t is an incident by no
means uncommon In booksellers row
for a bibliopole to be offered book
which had been stolen from his next
door neighbor. There is something
more than a tradition TO the effect that
n bookseller has ON occasion purchased
a book taken minute or two previous
ly from the shelves outside his shop
a favorite mode of stealing books
from public libraries il TO procure
book, sit down to read it and then
wrap il up in an oyereoat and after
this to take up a paper or magazine.
The rest is easily guessed. The public
libraries suffer in all sorts of ways, for
here the accumulated wisdom of the
thief finds plenty Of scope. Some of
the tribe have mania for old director
ries. Librarians complain frequently
of the clerical thief of sermons and
theological literature
Novels and books of the bibliophile'
las the French call them one can un-
derstand being stolen. but sermons
and theology Women, more or less
generally more - respectfully dressed.
are often objects OF suspicion with H.
brarians. for the ''reeeptiyity" of eloaks
Is Infinite, and the feelings" of the
culprit must also be considered AS a
general rule. the thief is well dressed
and educated and frequently well to
do.
Whatever may be the causes which
prompt n person to steal books. there
Is always this consolation - he ig in
good company This balm may not be
very healing one 70 the soul Of the
person whose books are stolen. but it
must be consolatory to the thief when
repenting in prison 10 know that some
great and good men have been touched
with the same species Of insanity.
Hearne, in his johannes Glaston-
ensis," more than hints that Sir Thorn
as Bodley had 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 y stigma. The anec-
dofe runs 10 this effect: A gentleman
calling on g friend who had very
ehoice library found him unusually
busy IN putting his best books oni Of
sg e Upon asking Ills view in ,h.s he
was answered. Don't YOU know the
bishop of - dimes with me todayY"
The very king of book stealers was
Libri. who. as Inspector general OF
French libraries under Louis Philippe,
lad special facilities for helping bin.
self and whose known thefts have been
valued az 10000 Tie most interesting
Illustration Of this mans depredations
was exposed in 1S6s, when Lord Ash
buruham issued translation Of the
Pentateuch from a Latin manuscript
which had been purchased by the late
Lord Ashburnham from -.lr fH9 had
sold IL under the eeUC aHa taz
not to be published fQf I#eui5 Fears.
Ii had been stolen u 1877 from tie
Lyons library. and the last clause OF
the agreement, therefore, could be cas-
lily understood. Libri evidently was not
one of those whom Jules Janin de-
scribes as people who don't think it
thieving to steal a book unless you sell
il nfterward.'
Innocent ". when still Mgr. Pam
philio. stole n book from Du Moustier.
who was himself book thief and
ought to have been en- courant with the
devices and designs of his own weak
nesses. 1t is refreshing TO come across
an example when the tables are so
completely turned. and If anything
would induce an honest man TO turn
book thief It should be the exhilarat-
ing fun of stealing from another thief.
II is reported. however. that Du Nous
tier recovered the book and thrust the
cardinal out of the house.
Catherine de- Medicl 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
it in installments. but never a farthing
did be 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
biblioklept tribe, he came to grief at
last. The original edition GAS2l of the
"Furs ordinations fetes per los glori-
10 n1s lal
Regne de Valencia" was offered for
sale by auction and after long and
obstinate competition WAS knocked
Gown to a bookseller named paxtot
A week after Paxtot's shop was
burned down. aud be was suifocated
nt the snmn time Snsnlcion WIS dl.