Panel discussions and lectures
DECLARED LOST: Recovering Stolen BooksSaturday October 29, 2005
Rabb Lecture Hall, Boston Public Library 10AM
Whose responsibility is it to police the world of books? What do
stories of the theft and breaking of books have to tell us about the
economics of our cultural heritage?
A panel of lawyers, scholars, librarians, and bookdealers addressed these and other questions in this symposium scheduled to coincide with the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair. DECLARED LOST strove to foster dialogue about books, theft, trade, and cultural heritage.
Members of the panel:
Nicholas Basbanes
Ken Sanders
Jeff Spurr
David Szewczyk
Michael Thompson
In the afternoon, attendees were invited to a special tour of the Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Boston Public Library, given by Curator of Manuscripts, Earle Havens. Mr. Havens drew special attention to collections that have suffered losses and thefts before coming to the Boston Public Library, including the personal library of John Adams, and the library of Thomas Prince, two of the earliest and largest private library collections in America, as well as the personal manuscript collection of Mellen Chamberlain, Librarian of the Boston Public Library, 1878-90.
Organized by Irina Tarsis, who co-chairs SAFE's new Books and Libraries Committee with Matthew Battles. Attendance is free. Preregistration for the tour is required. For more information, contact: itarsis@savingantiquities.org
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Nicholas Basbanes author of A Gentle Madness and the forthcoming Every Book Its Reader: The Power of the Printed Word to Stir the World (HarperCollins), will explore the story of Stephen Blumberg, who stole close to thirty thousand books valued at $20 million from more than 300 libraries throughout the United States and Canada.
Ken Sanders of Ken Sanders Rare Books in Salt Lake City, former chair of the security committee of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), who has helped bring several book thieves to justice and exposed numerous frauds and forgeries, will discuss internet techniques and strategies for exposing and combating theft and deception in the trade.
Jeff Spurr Islamic and Middle East Specialist in Harvard University's Fine Arts Library, will discuss the case of Jose Torres, who stole an estimated $1.5 million worth of books and prints from Harvard's libraries.
David Szewczyk a partner in the Philadelphia Rare Books & Manuscripts Company and current co-chair of the security committee of the ABAA, will offer his perspective on two cases in which he helped to identify and recover stolen books.
Michael Thompson a Chicago attorney who specializes in cultural property law and past president of the Caxton Club of Chicago, will discuss the recovery of Holocaust-era displaced books.
