Thieves of Book Row : New York's Most Notorious Rare Book Ring and the Man Who Stopped It Travis McDade

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McDade, Travis.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rare books--History--20th century.

Rare books.

Thieves--Literary collections.

Thieves.

Art thefts--New York (State)--New York.

Art thefts.

Rare books--New York (State)--New York.

New York Public Library--History--20th century.

New York Public Library.

Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849--Manuscripts.

Poe, Edgar Allan.

Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849--Library resources.

Physical Description:

xi, 216 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, [2013]

Summary:

The goods were kept in a secure room under constant scrutiny, deep inside a crowded building with guards at the exits. In the Depression, some fellows were willing to try anything-- even a heist in the rare book room of the New York Public Library. McDade tells the gripping tale of the worst book-theft ring in American history, and the intrepid detective who brought it down. The goods: a first edition of Edgar Allan Poe's Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems. A fascinating look at the history of crime and literary culture.

Contents:

The Antics of the Leading Industrials

The Accumulated Wisdom

A Purloined Poe

Scholarship and Investigation

The Boston Scene

Someone Qualified as a Bookman

The People of the State of New York and their Dignity

That's the End of the Rare Book.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-210) and index.

Local Notes:

The Landau-Savedoff Memorial Reference Collection on Cultural & Heritage Purloinment.

ISBN:

9780199922666

0199922667

9780190239718 pbk

0190239719 pbk

OCLC:

813938844