The Tucson citizen., 1902-05-01
NOTED BOOK THIEVES
HISTORICAL FIGURES WHO STOLE
UNIQUE VOLUMES.

Inspector General Libri Was the
King of the Biblioklept Tribe--A
Cardinal, "a bishop and "a Priest In
fected with the Mania.
Book stealing Is an art uron which
much ingenuity has been expended.
One never knows in what form 1t will
next break out. 1t Is an incident by no
means uncommon in Booksellers row
for bbliopole to be offered book
which had been stolen from his next
door neighbor. There is something
more than n tradition to the effect that
bookseller has on occasion purchased
book taken minute or two previous
" from the shelves outside his shop!
A favorite mode Of stealing books
from public libraries Is to procure a
book, sit down to read 1t and then
wrap it up in an overcoat and after
this to take up 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 directo-
ies. Librarians complain frequently
W the clerical thief of sermons and
theological literature.
Novels and books of the bibliophile"
las the French call them one can uu-
derstand being stolen. but sermons
| and theology! Women. more or less
generally more - respectfully dressed.
are often objects OF suspicion with IL
brarians. for the "receptivity" OF cloaks
Is infinite. and the feelings" of the
culpYit must also be consldeIe ed. AS
general rule. the thief Is we'll dressed
and educated and frequently well to
do
Whatever may be the causes which
prompt person to steal books. there
Is always this consolation -~ he IL in
good company. This balm may not be
very healing one to the soul OF the
person whose books are stolen. but ii
must be 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 Giastoni.
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 a stigma. The anec-
dote runs to this effect: A gentleman
calling on a friend who had a very
choice library found him unusually
busy In putting his best books ont 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
Libri, 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 10000. The most interesting
Illustration of this mans depredations
was exposed In 1868. when Lord Ash
burnham issued a translation of the
Pentateuch from n Latin manuscript
which had been purchased by the late
Lord Ashburnham from Eibri. who had
sold IL under the condition that II 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- |
lily understood. Libri evidently was not |
one OF those whom Jules Janln de- /
scribes rs people who don't think 1t !
thieving to steal book unless you sell |
1t afterward"
Innocent Y. when still Mgr. Pam. |
philiO, stole a book from Du Moustier
who was himself a book thief and
ought to have been Ell 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 exhllarat.
ing fun Of stealing from another thief.
1t is reported. however, that Du Nous.
tier recovered the book and thrust the
cardinal out of the house.
Catherine de- Medic 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 farthing
did he get.
or 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
blDlioklept tribe. he came to grief at
last The original edition 04S2) of the
"Furs ordinations fetes per los glori-
0sos Reys de Arag0 ais regncois del
Regne de Valencia was offered for
sale by auction and after n long and
obstinate competition was knocked
Gown to bookseller named Paxtot.
a week after Paxtots shop was
burned down, and he was suffocated
1t the same time. Suspicion was di.
'ected toward Don Vincento, whose
'esidence was searched. and there at
enGth was discovered the inc ina bule
IbOVe named The priest wa arrest.