Man Charged with Map Thefts
Rare map dealer E. Forbes Smiley III seems to have been getting some maps by cutting them out of books in libraries and archives across the country, according to this Boston Globe article about his crimes and their impact on collections.
Addenda 8/10: The Boston Globe has another article about the situation that includes information on how curators try to figure out what material is missing. It isn’t as easy as it might seem to be.
I can’t help but wonder what collectors who have purchased maps from Smiley might be thinking.
10/19/06: Smiley was sentenced for his crimes.
