Six of Pushkin's 19th-Century Works Vanish from National Library of the Netherlands
Six rare 19th-century books by Russian literary giant Aleksandr Pushkin were stolen from the National Library of the Netherlands (KB) in 2023, the library announced, prompting a public appeal for help in their recovery. The missing volumes are first editions, considered invaluable cultural heritage items.
Law enforcement agencies believe the theft may be connected to a Georgian organized crime group specializing in stealing rare books from libraries across Europe. Several suspects have been arrested in connection to these crimes, but the Pushkin books remain missing.
The stolen works include first editions of "Ruslan i Ljumila," "Graf Nulin," "Poltava," "Boris Godunov," "Cygany," and "Kavkazskij plennik". The KB has provided detailed information about the books, including their original signatures and any unique markings, to aid in identification.
According to Europol, this criminal group was responsible for the theft of at least 170 books from national and historical libraries in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Switzerland between 2022 and 2023. The total value of the stolen books is estimated at 2.5 million euros, but their cultural significance is considered "of unmeasurable patrimonial loss to society".
The thieves often targeted first editions of works by Russian writers like Pushkin and Nikolai Gogol. Their methods varied, ranging from sophisticated replacements of the original books with high-quality counterfeits to more direct break-ins. "Experts have established that the copies were of outstanding quality," according to Europol. In some instances, stolen books were sold via auction houses in St. Petersburg and Moscow, making recovery nearly impossible.
The investigation into the thefts was an international effort, involving law enforcement agencies across Europe and coordinated by Europol and Eurojust. Wilma van Wezenbeek, General Director of the KB, emphasized the importance of this collaboration, stating, "It is important that also this kind of incidents are discussed openly, as soon as the police investigation allows it".
The National Library of the Netherlands (KB) has provided detailed information about the stolen Pushkin books to aid in their recovery. These details include the books' titles, publication years, KB signatures, and any unique characteristics such as handwritten notes. The library hopes that by making this information public, "internet detectives" and book enthusiasts might be able to spot the missing volumes.
"In the case of the theft that affected us, we have been reluctant until now," said Van Wezenbeek, explaining the library's initial decision not to publicize the incident. "The first priority is of course that the security leak has to be sealed, but I also noticed that we did not share the news about this theft as widely as we could have".
The KB is urging the public to come forward with any information that may lead to the recovery of the stolen books, expressing their desire to return the works to their rightful place in the national collection.
