Animal prints theft collection

Collection

Identifier: MS 0544

Staff Only

Finding aid note: Stored off-site at the Library Service Center and requires 24-hour notice for retrieval. Please contact the Woodson Research Center at 713-348-2586 or woodson@rice.edu for more information.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of circa 700 color prints stolen from the journals Ibis (the journal of the British Ornithologists’ Union) and Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, owned by the Fondren Library. The prints date from 1859-1915 and feature birds, bird eggs, bird nests and other animals. The prints were recovered after Blumberg’s 1991 arrest and returned to Fondren Library. The bags in which they are stored are the bags which Blumberg used for them. The folder names for the bags reflect his labeling on the bags. Theft correspondence and research dates from 1980-2004 and represents the Fondren Library’s efforts to cooperate with and assist in the Blumberg investigation. Additionally, Series III includes plates recovered from other unidentified sources, probably unrelated to the thefts from Ibis and the Journal of Zoology. These prints were found in the collections at the Woodson Researcher Center with no provenance information, but are similar in nature to the other plates in this collection, and so are being included here.

Dates

Creation: 1859-2004

Creator

Rice University (Organization)

Access Restriction

This material is open for research.

Conditions Governing Access

Stored off-site at the Library Service Center and requires 24-hour notice for retrieval. Please contact the Woodson Research Center at 713-348-2586 or woodson@rice.edu for more information.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish materials from this item must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Biographical Note

Stephen Carrie Blumberg was an accomplished book thief who stole 18,900 books from 327 libraries and museums in 45 states and Canada before being caught in 1991. Over 20 years he amassed his collection of rare books in his Iowa home in an attempt to create his own rare book collection, never intending to sell them. Blumberg stole numerous color plates from journals in Rice’s Fondren Library in the 1980s. When the FBI confiscated his collection, and attempted to return the books to the libraries from which they were stolen, the task was complicated by the fact that Blumberg had removed each library’s ownership marks. It is believed that this group of prints represents only what was stolen from Fondren Library, but complete accuracy on this point is not possible. It was also determined that the original journals from which these plates were cut were in such bad condition that returning the plates to them would not be possible. Therefore they have been maintained in their original order since their investigation and return.

Blumberg’s stolen book collection was valued at $5.3 million. He served nearly 6 years in prison for the thefts.

Extent

1.5 Linear Feet (3 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection consists of circa 700 color prints stolen from the journals (the journal of the British Ornithologists’ Union) and Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, owned by the Fondren Library. The prints date from 1859-1915 and feature birds, bird eggs, and other animals. Theft correspondence and research dates from 1980-2004 and represents the Fondren Library’s efforts to cooperate with and assist in the Blumberg investigation.

Acquisition Information

The theft correspondence and research in this collection was the work product of the Fondren Library in collaboration with the FBI and other libraries which were involved, over the period of time 1981-2004.