What May Be the Largest Book Theft in Decades Unravels
Source: Americana Exchange By Michael Stillman
I just read a very interesting article in Americana Exchange that I want to share with you. Please be sure to follow the links at the beginning and end of this brief quote from the article... It is well worth the read:
"It's the story that keeps getting worse. A massive book heist in Italy apparently has ensnared thousands of books, millions of dollars, and made some important people look very foolish, and others look like criminals. Some believe this to be the largest book theft in decades.
Last spring, an Italian historian, Tomaso Montanari, walked into the Girolamini Library in Naples, a Church related institution generally not open to the public. He was amazed by what he saw. “Shocked” might be the better word. Rare old books were strewn all over the place, some on the floor with the empty Coke cans. The shelves were a mess. He was incensed. Worse yet, a couple of old librarians whispered to him about strange comings and goings in the night. He went to authorities, who apparently were unconcerned.
Still upset by what he had seen, Montanari wrote an article for a newspaper. It resulted in 2,000 academics signing a petition to remove the library's director, Massimo De Caro.
Massimo De Caro, it turns out, is not your typical librarian. I've never heard the expression “from Hell” used with a librarian before, but Massimo De Caro was surely the librarian from Hell. He came to the Girolamini Library last year as a result of political connections he had with various government agencies, notably the cultural ministry. He had an impressive resume, filled with falsehoods, but apparently no one checked very carefully. Connections matter more. He claimed to be a descendant of some princes, which he was not. He claimed to be a graduate of Siena University. He was not..."
The article has global implications, the theft of a rare volume by Gallileo, a priest accomplice and other interesting pieces of information. The Americana Exchange is a good read, by the way and should be included in your list of excellent book sites...
PEASE CLICK HERE: Americana Exchange.com