On 14 Jul 2004 at 4:22, Tony Curwen wrote:
> The 'Cambrian News' reports today that Joseph Peter Bellwood surrendered
> himself to police a few days after a detective from Aberystwyth made an
> appeal for information on the BBC's 'Crimewatch' programme. "Following
> that appeal, it is understood that the address of Bellwood's girlfriend
> was volunteered to police by viewers. ... further enquiries relating to
> that address were made by oficers. And a few days later, Bellwood walked
> into a police station - advised by a solicitor - and was charged with the
> theft of maps from the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth". He
> appeared before magistrates in Llanelli, South Wales, last week, and was
> granted conditional bail to appear before magistrates in Aberystwyth on 22
> July.
>
> Tony Curwen
> Consultant, Consortium of European Research Libraries
>
Scotland Yard catches up with book thief
London, July 15. ? Eight important 17th and 18th century books stolen
from a German library have been recovered with the help of a British
bookseller and Scotland Yard?s Art and Antiques Squad. Science,
travel and natural history antiquarian volumes worth more than
£100,000 were smuggled out of the 270-year-old Lower Saxony State and
University Library of Gottingen, apparently during the buliding?s
recent renovation. A German man who offered three of the volumes last
month to Mr Tim Biro of Collectable Books in London, specialising in
pre-1800 printing, was arrested and charged. German police tracked
him down through his e-mail address after they were alerted by
Scotland Yard. The books have been recovered but some of them are
badly damaged. The alleged thief had attempted to obliterate the
library stamps with chemicals or a razor. Before being contacted, Mr
Biro was aware of the theft through an email bulletin circulated to
all members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association and the
International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, a network of about
2,000 dealers worldwide, as well as the Art Loss Register and auction
houses. Mr Biro said yesterday that it was ?extremely gratifying to
try to increase the security of our trade?, was first contacted via
an e-mail from a man using an English name, Mr Michael J Wilkens. The
books relate to the area of Mr Biro?s specialisation and he realised
that they were likely to be those missing from Gottingen. He replied
to the e-mail, asking to see the books, and contacted Mr John
Critchley, secretary of Antiquarian Booksellers Association who, in
turn contacted the Art and Antiques Squad. Mr Critchley said:
?Scotland Yard, who were extremely helpful, forwarded Mr Wilkens?s
messages to Gottingen, and sent out a message on our security chain,
as well as that of the international league?s, to alert members to be
on the lookout.? The most important of the eight titles is a 17th-
century natural history book in Latin, Nurnbergische Hesperides,
worth about 45,000£. The others include accounts from the 1770s of
Captain Cook?s voyages and two volumes on exploration in South
America. They were initially offered to Asher and Co in the
Netherlands, who had also read the e-mail bulletin. Suspicions were
confirmed by the sight of the books? partly-erased library stamps.
The ?seller? said he worked in security and had received the books
from someone who owed him money. He disappeared on realising that the
police were about to be called, saying that he would contact the
library to return the books, which he never did. Mr Steiner contacted
the library: ?They confirmed that the books were theirs.? He said
thieves needed to understand, that the mailing-list between
booksellers was circulated immediately. Mr Jonathan Potter, president
of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association, said Mr Biro had taken
the right action: ?As soon as we receive information from a library
that something has gone missing, we?re able to advise our members
confidentially. The problem is that often libraries don?t know until
it?s too late that things have been stolen.? Mr Joachim Migl, the
librarian at Gottingen, said during the building?s renovation work,
it was impossible to keep a check on people entering and leaving.
? The Times, London
_____________________________
http://www.museum-security.orghttp://www.cpprot.nethttp://www.adviesconsortium.net
All our outgoing mails are checked for viruses.
________________________