The woman who stole Vermeer : the true story of Rose Dugdale and the Russborough House art heist / Anthony M. Amore.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Amore, Anthony M., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dugdale, Bridget Rose, 1941-.

Dugdale, Bridget Rose.

Russborough House (Blessington, Ireland).

Criminals--Great Britain--Biography.

Criminals.

Female offenders.

Art thefts.

Great Britain.

Ireland.

Art thefts--Ireland.

Female offenders--Biography.

Genre:

Biographies.

True crime stories.

Physical Description:

262 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Edition:

First Pegasus Books hardcover edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Pegasus Crime, 2020.

Summary:

"The extraordinary life and crimes of heiress-turned-revolutionary Rose Dugdale, who in 1974 became the only woman to pull off a major art heist." -- Amazon.com.

"In the world of crime, there exists an unusual commonality between those who steal art and those who repeatedly kill: they are almost exclusively male. But, as with all things, there is always an outlier--someone who bucks the trend, defying the reliable profiles and leaving investigators and researchers scratching their heads. In the history of major art heists, that outlier is Rose Dugdale. Dugdale's life is singularly notorious. Born into extreme wealth, she abandoned her life as an Oxford-trained PhD and heiress to join the cause of Irish Republicanism. While on the surface she appears to be the British version of Patricia Hearst, she is anything but. Dugdale ran head-first towards the action, spearheading the first aerial terrorist attack in British history and pulling off the biggest art theft of her time. In 1974, she led a gang into the opulent Russborough House in Ireland and made off with millions in prized paintings, including works by Goya, Gainsborough, and Rubens, as well as Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid by the mysterious master Johannes Vermeer. Dugdale thus became--to this day--the only woman to pull off a major art heist. And as Anthony Amore explores in The Woman Who Stole Vermeer, it's likely that this was not her only such heist. [This book] is Rose Dugdale's story, from her idyllic upbringing in Devonshire and her presentation to Elizabeth II as a debutante to her university years and her eventual radical lifestyle. Her life of crime and activism is at turns unbelievable and awe-inspiring, and sure to engross readers" -- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: One. The Reluctant Debutante

Two. A Weird Orchid Among Daisies

Three. A Soixante-Huitard

Four. Graduation

Five. The Cause

Six. Wally

Seven. Stealing Home

Eight. Enter Eddie

Nine. The Bombing at Strabane

Ten. The Intersection

Eleven. The Guitar Player

Twelve. The French Visitor

Thirteen. Proudly and Incorruptibly Guilty

Fourteen. A New Life on the Inside

Fifteen. Love and Marriage

Sixteen. The Afterlife.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-239).

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Beardwood Fund bookplate.

ISBN:

9781643135298

1643135295

OCLC:

1142340987