New Delhi: He’s a ‘renowned’ thief who mastered the ‘art’ of removing precious books from libraries across North America for several years.
Meet Stephen Blumberg, who holds the record for being the world’s most prolific book thief.
Now 78 years old, American Blumberg stole at least 23,600 rare books, weighing nearly 19 tonnes, from 268 libraries across North America between the 1970s and 1990.
His decades-long act was finally halted when a former accomplice, Kenneth Rhodes, tipped off authorities and had him arrested. It was in July 1991 that Blumberg was convicted on four counts of possessing and transporting stolen property.
So unique and rare was Blumberg’s crime story that the Guinness World Records took note and recognised him as the most prolific ‘book thief’.
How Blumberg different from others?
Well, he was diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder at the age of 15.
Convinced that modern institutions had failed to appreciate the value of rare books and historical artefacts, Blumberg believed he was on a mission.
He believed that he was rescuing those books from neglect. He had a deep distrust for librarians, whom he regarded as careless custodians.
Blumberg travelled across the country for months on end to ‘collect’ rare books. He hoarded books, and supplemented his income by selling architectural salvage, particularly 19th-century stained glass, an area in which he had considerable expertise.
He compiled a $72,000 annual trust fund, which allowed him to pursue an unconventional lifestyle. Interestingly, he never purchased books, and focused on planning elaborate heists.
Planning was meticulous: Blumberg would visit libraries during the day, using forged or stolen credentials, to study layouts and identify valuable collections. He would return at night, sometimes with acquired staff keys, to carry out the thefts.
Blumberg’s crimes were largely unnoticed for many years. Stephen Huntsberry, a campus police officer at the University of Washington, suspected the existence of a serial book thief after a man using the alias ‘Matt McGue’ was spotted behaving suspiciously near the university library.
However, it was Rhodes who ultimately exposed Blumberg. Rhodes approached the FBI with ample evidence of Blumberg’s thefts. He revealed the scale of the stolen collection in exchange for $56,000 and a promise to testify.
