A Librarian Gone Bad

A Librarian Gone Bad

Constant Wonder - Season 2022, Episode 977 , Segment 2

Acrobatic Book Thieves

Episode: Acrobatic Book Thieves

  • Apr 27, 2021 6:00 pm
  • 17:02 mins

Some criminals steal diamonds or gold bullion. Others steal books. A rare and valuable copy of Ptolemy’s "La Geographia," printed in 1548, was stolen from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh sometime in the last 25 years. This alone is a noteworthy crime, but it was just the beginning. Eventually, roughly 300 other rare books were stolen from the library in an $8 million bit-by-bit book heist. It's a story of a librarian who went bad and the sleuthing to crack the case and recover the books. Guest: Travis McDade, Curator of Law Rare Books and Associate Professor of Library Service at University of Illinois College of Law