Six months ago the following three books were stolen from us in transit. Should anyone be offered these books, we would greatly appreciate your getting in touch with us.

I. PISSINUS, Sebastiani Lucensis. De cordis palpitatione cognoscenda, & curanda libri duo. Frankfurt: Claudium Marnium & heredes Ioannis Aubrii, 1609. 8vo. 193, [23] pp., including index. Woodcut printer’s device to title, chapter initials, head- and tailpieces. Contemporary limp vellum with remnants of ties, title in manuscript on spine; small wormhole at inner margin of a few leaves (text not affected). Contemporary ownership inscription of the Collegii Paris Societ[atis] Jesu to title.

II. SKODA, Joseph. Abhandlung uber Perkussion und Auskultation. Vienna: Mosle’s Witwe & Braumuller, 1839. 8vo. xviii, [ii], 271, [1] pp. Contemporary quarter-calf over marbled boards, extremities somewhat worn. From the library of Dr. Ferdinand Vielguth of Vienna on first flyleaf.

III. BURNET, Thomas. Archæologiæ philosophicæ: or, the ancient doctrine concerning the originalsof things; Dr. Burnet’s theory of the visible world; by way of commentary onhis own theory of the Earth. being the second part of his Archæologiæ Philosophicæ, Written in Latin by Thomas Burnet, LL.D. master of the Charter-House. Faithfully translated into English, with
remarks thereon, by Mr. Foxton (with) [JONCHERE, Étienne Lécuyer de la]. The immobility of the Earth demonstrated by reasons drawn from the established rules of physics,mechanics, and geometry. Proving the Earth to be in the center of theUniverse; and that all the Celestial Bodies perform their diurnial motions round it, and not the sun. In opposition to the solar system. [translated by J[ohn] M[organ]. London: Printed for E. Curll, 1729. Three books in one (first title in two parts). 8vo. [viii], xxxii, [viii], viii, 90, 6, 40; 96, 41-104, 32 pp. (pages 41-104 mis-bound). Separate title to each book. Contemporary Cambridge binding (small piece torn away at hinges), spine decorated in gilt; fly leaves stained, sporadic browning on text and a few minor worm holes. From the library of Abner Jackson, Trinity College, with his bookplate and withdrawn stamp.

Thank you in advance,

Cassandra Joffre
B & L Rootenberg Rare Books & Manuscripts, ABAA, ILAB, ABA
(818) 788-7765
Fax: (818) 788-8839
PO Box 5049
Sherman Oaks, Ca. 91403
blroot@rootenbergbooks.com

Stolen from Bookseller: Motte & Bailey, Booksellers, Ann Arbor, MI

The Ghost-Hunter and His Family. Banim, John [and Michael]. London: Simms and M’Intyre ., 1852. First edition thus, original was in 1833. Good sextodecimo (16mo) hardcover with leather spine and brown boards without dust jacket. Wear and rubbing, heavy at times, along the edges of the boards with bumping to the head and heel of the spine and on the corners of the panels. Corners have small holes in the binding. Also some light bumping to the upper edges of the panels. Panels have some light scuffing and scratching. Bookplate of the previous owner on the front pastedown endpaper. Name in pencil on the front free endpaper. Pages are a little browned but not brittle. Page edges are foxed. 284 pages. The binding is still tight and this copy is in nice shape for its age.
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“Atlas description: Philadelphia: H.S. Tanner, 1823. Folio (22 5/8 x 15 3/4 inches). Letterpress half-title, 1p. index and 18pp. text. Engraved title with vignette of the “First Landing of Columbus in the New World”, 22 fine hand-coloured double-page engraved maps. Contemporary red half morocco, the flat spine divided into six compartments by double fillets, lettered in the second, the other compartments with repeat decoration of a single centrally-placed square arabesque tool, modern cloth box with morocco lettering-piece on its spine.

The atlas was stolen between April 20 and April 22, 2007. Unfortunately, our institution had yet to agree on what to do with the atlas (keep or deaccession/sell at an auction), so it does not have any markings on it. It does have a library catalog sticker with a number (we did not have a chance to record this number) on its binding a quarter of the way from the top. There are specific condition notes to this atlas: a majority of the pages have some sort of water-like stains both large and small throughout, which are mostly contained along the edges of the 18 pages of text. All of the maps are in good condition with a few water stains, with the exception of the large map on the last pages. This fold-out map has binding tape holding it together, when folded open the pages are crisp along the creases. The exterior has general wear throughout both red leather coverings. The binding has some damage and a library catalog sticker. As expected with a piece this old, there are the usual fading and yellowing marks throughout.

We are working with the Clarkstown Police Department of Rockland County, NY. Their general line is (845) 639.5800. This incident has been reported to the FBI, who will report it to Interpol among other international forces they work with. We highly suspect it is still in the downstate NY region and if sold, among the same region.”
[in from philobiblos]

worth reading • from the NYT – 44 signatories of a manifesto published in Le Monde assert that it is time for the French to stop looking down on francophone authors. Where’s the fun in that?

cookies • South African author Nadine Gordimer awarded French Legion of Honor for her work about the inhumanity of apartheid

workaround • The author of the euthanasia manual The Peaceful Pill Handbook has struck a deal with Google Books to make the book which has been banned in Australia, available a downloadable document for US$30 ($A37).

essay • Lisa McLendon has a column in the Wichita Eagle - If a book is bad or boring do you finish it?

blog of note • Jeremy @ Philobiblos has a few interesting links as always including one to “Paul Collins’ new piece in the April issue of The Believer on alloynomic literature – that in which a famous author’s name is appropriated (usually but not always after their death). “

and here’s Jeremy write up of the Boston Fair - it’s so nice to watch bouncing baby booksellers – they get so excited about everything they see, every book and manuscript is all new. ah . . . to be young and unjaded.

• New Zealand’s Massey University has been ripped off by one of its librarians who has been implicated in the activities of a national group believed to have netted more than $1 million from stolen rare books.

Approximately 50 antique maps were stolen from Ted L. Canaday Old and Rare Books, in Harrisburg, Pa., sometime between Feb. 8-15. The total value of the maps amounted to nearly $20,000. Most of the maps were copperplate engravings from the 18th and early 19th centuries, with a few exceptions dating as early as the 1580s and as late as the middle to latter parts of the 19th century. All of these maps should be considered uncommon within the
general antique trade, and several unusual enough to warrant attention within the smaller circle of antique map specialists. All of the maps were housed in hinged mats, which allow the front
matting to be flipped over, so that the map can be removed for inspection. It is generally thought that these may be discarded by the thief. Unusual items that should raise immediate attention include:

A manuscript map of early oil territory in Pennsylvania; Four Blaeu / Martini maps of Chinese provinces; Three maps by Stackhouse, with particular note for his North American
example; Seale’s map of the African Coast.

A detailed list of maps will appear in the March 21 issue of Antique Trader.

Anyone with information regarding these maps should contact Ted Canaday

Rare Book Stolen From UCLA Library

(AP) LOS ANGELES – Authorities are investigating the theft of a rare 18th century manuscript about Rome’s politically powerful Orsini family from an exhibit case at a University of California, Los Angeles library.

The 208-page volume of documents was on public view in the special collections area of the Charles E. Young Research Library when it was taken sometime between Feb. 9 and Feb. 12, campus police said.

The manuscript had not been appraised, but some experts said it could be worth about $7,500, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

It was part of a large collection UCLA acquired in 1964 and includes text and illustrations from 1715 to 1736 about the Orsini palace in Rome. The documents were on display in connection with an international scholarly conference on the Orsini family, an wealthy clan that produced popes and political leaders.

Dawn Setzer, director of communications for the UCLA Library, said the theft was the first in about a decade from the special collections. She said the library has always tried to balance security against making its collections
accessible.

“The thought that someone would take something is surprising and disappointing,” she said.

Detectives were pursuing leads but had no suspects, said UCLA police spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein.

I am writing to you because the Department of Special Collections and Rare Books of the University of Minnesota Libraries recently received a package that was supposed to contain 19 German books mailed from Berlin, Germany and which arrived empty. An inspection by the Department and the postal authorities was unable to determine if the package was ripped open or broke open along the route. We are not sure if the books have been deliberately stolen or are missing. Each book was individually wrapped in white tissue paper and contained a “bookmark” inside the front cover.

These books are considered World Heritage items because they were the personal property of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld and were the books he was able to collect while he was in exile in Nice, France after the burning of the Hirschfeld Library by the Nazis on May 10, 1933. Of the 19 books in the package seven (7of the 19) were more modern books that were gifts to us from the Magnus-Hirschfeld-Gesellschaft e. V. in Berlin

for a complete list of missing items and descriptions.

If you have any leads on these missing books please contact Jean-Nickolaus Tretter or Tim Johnson. Should you have received any or all of our missing German books I can assure you that we will make arrangements for their return at absolutely no cost to you and with a minimal effort or work on your part. If you have any additional questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to contact us at any time. Please also feel free to circulate this message as you see fit. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Jean-Nickolaus Tretter
Depart. of Special Collections and Rare Books
University of Minnesota Libraries
[via philobiblos]