Featured Theft From Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Investigators on Lookout for 314 Items Stolen From Carnegie Library’s Rare Books Room
Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...orth-5-million-180968538/#jCH3W880OSsxB3yI.99

What a shame. Hope the books are recovered and the crooks prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

 

How the heck did "they" get away with 314 books......I would suggest apparently not all at one time???? YIKES!!!! That IS criminal and really so sad......

 

As the article says, has to be, sadly, an inside job. Some of the volumes were probably quite small & could be taken out more than one at a time. If they have a protocol of employees having to have bags checked when leaving, could mean some collusion there, but probably even if they do this, they do not pat them down. Maybe went out inside a coat.

For anyone wondering why the article mentions the books printed before 1500.

 

Selfish Thieving PIGS !! .. Those books are for the enjoymemt of ALL !! .. PIGS !! ... Joy.

 

Agree with your characterization of the greedy, unprincipled thief. Access to the room is extremely limited, so not sure about the enjoyment of all.

When you use the Watson Library at the Met, you have to leave all bags & outerwear in a locker, & that's just for access to the general collection.

 

Well folks must be able to access them, by appointment maybe, else what would be the reason for having them? maybe if the pages are delicate they are filmed on video or something. Anyway .. the theft is sickening, I have NEVER understood how some bastard could just up and walk away with the property of others !! .. Joy.

 

Here's a very well written story about another famous thief of maps from libraries. Unfortunately not a new problem: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/10/17/a-theft-in-the-library

 

UPDATED Story. Some recovered but the bulk haven't been. It was indeed an inside job with one of the archivists behind the thefts.

A library found it was missing $8 million of its rarest items. Nearly three years later, a man on the inside admitted to selling the items to a local bookstore
https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/14/us/pittsburgh-library-theft-trnd/index.html

 

we should keep an eye out in case they show up here !!

 

Also note that the bookstore owner that purchased the "hot" books for pennies on the dollar from the thief has been an appraiser on the Antiques Roadshow. One of his shops wasn't very far from the library where the books were stolen from. I say lock him with the thief up and seize his assets/stores. Surely John Schulman wasn't born yesterday and most likely knew exactly where the books came from.

 

Thanks for the update! I had been following this story for a while, looking for updates but hadn't seen one recently.

Here's a longer article, on a local Pittsburgh site.
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/c...ohn-schulman-guilty-plea/stories/202001130088

 

I just completely misread that you had to leave all bags and underwear in a locker.

 

That is exactly what I read first time, as well.

Was thinking, "Wow, that is pretty extreme."

 

Hi,
I am quite appalled by the uncovering of the "insider" problems. I bought a very expensive map from the Caliban Book Store in 1995. It was a map of Rhode Island. A group of us 6 or7 went in on the price as a wedding present for a friend. I have been thinking of this for a long time. I wonder if it was stolen or not?
greg

 

There are sites to check:
https://www.google.com/search?q=missing+art+database&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b