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


Cardinal, q bishop and q Priest In-
fected with the Mania.
Book stealing Is an art upon 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 bibliopole to be offered book
which had been stolen from his next
more than tradition TO the effect that
a bookseller has on occasion purchased
a book taken a minute or two previous
ly from the shelves outside his shop!
A favorite mode OF stealing books
from public libraries Is to procure
book, sit down to read 1t and then
wrap it up IN an overcont and after
this to take up q 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 a mania for old directo-
ries. Librarians complain frequently
OF the clerical thief OF sermons and
theological literature.
Novels and books OF the bibliophile"
(as 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 'receptivity" of cloaks
Is infinite and the feelings" OF the
culprit must also be considered. As n
general rule. the thief Is well 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 In 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 consoiatory to the thief when
repenting In prison TO know that some
great and good men have been touched
with the sa me species OF insa nifty.
Hearne, In his johannes Glastonl-
ensis." more than hints that Sir Thom-
as Bodley had a weakness In this d.
rection. "lf you hold" be warns Sir
Henry Saviiie. "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'
dote runs to this effect: A gentleman
calling on friend who had a very
choice library found him unusually
busy I'm putting his best books out ol
sight. Upon asking bis view In this hs
was answered. Don't you know the
bishop of ---- dimes with me todayT
The very king of book stealers was
Libri. who. as inspector general oi
French libraries under Louis Philippe
had special facilities for helping him
self and whose known thefts have been
valued at f20. 1000. The most interesting
illustration OF this mans depredations
was exposed In 1863 when Lord Ash
burnham issued translation OF tht
Pentateuch from Latin manuscript
which had been purchased by the late
Lord Ashburuham from T.ibri. who hat
sold IL under the condition that II wat
not to be published for twenty years
1t bad been stolen In 1917 from th'
LYONS library. aud the last clause ot
the agreement. therefore. could be cas-
ly understood I.ibri evidently was 40
one of those whom Jules Janin de
stribes as people who don't think i
tlipvlng to steal u book unless you sci
il afterward,
Innocent ". when still Mgr. Pam
philio. stole a book from Du Moustier
who was himself n book thief ano
ought to have been en- courant with til,
devices and designs Of bis own weak
nesses. II Is refreshing to come across
an example when the tables are 81
completely turned. and IL anything
would induce an honest man to turi
book thief 1t should be the exhilarat
ing fun of stealing from another thief
1t is reported. however. that Du Nous
tier recovered the hook and thrust th'
cardinal out of the Louise.
Catherine de- Medici went In for steal
ing books by wholesale and barefaced
She seized the fine library OF Marsha
Strozzi and promised to pay his son TO
1t In installments. but never farthint
did he get.
OF another and equally extreme type
was the Spanish priest Don Viucento
who sold books and then murdered thu
purchasers to regain possession or hi
coveted treasures. Like most of thu
biblioklept tribe. he came to grief a
last. The original edition 04S2) of thu
"Furs ordinations fetes per los glori
osos Reys de Arago ais regnicois de
Regne de Valencia" was offered fo
sale by auction and after long nnC
obstinate competition was knocked
down to a bookseller named Paxtot.
a week after Paxtot's shop wa
burned down. and he was suffocate(
at the same time. Suspicion was di
rected toward Don Vincento. whos'
residence was searched, and there a
length was discovered the incunabul'
above named. The priest was arrest
ed. and at the hearing he confessed
t,,It t1n fonr .Nf% %.A,.