Two Men Accused of Stealing $8 Million Dollars Worth of Rare Books, Including One by Issac Newton

When we think about heists, we tend to think of thieves robbing banks for cash or priceless jewels, but the fact is there are plenty of rare books out there that are worth just as much as diamonds or gold. One such book is Isaac Newton’s Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, also known simply as Principia. It is commonly regarded as one of the most important scientific books ever written and was where Newton recorded his work on the Laws of Motion. Last week, this important tome was the target of a heist from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

As Motherboard reports, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office has stated that the theft involved the library’s former archivist, Greg Priore, and another man named John Schulman, who is an antique bookseller. The two allegedly conspired to steal and sell books worth more $8 million from the library, including Principia, which is currently valued at $900,000. The two men have since been arrested for the crime.

Other rare and valuable books targeted by the thieves includes The Journal of Major George Washington and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. The books were apparently stolen in the light of day, with Priore taking them from the library and delivering them to Schulman’s bookshop after work. In some cases he would remove the pages of a book with a knife and put the rest of the book back on the shelf. An act which will no doubt outrage those of you who hate to so much as bend the spine of a book.

What makes the theft even more shocking is the fact that it is part of an operation that has been ongoing since the 1990s. Priore told the authorities that he had been giving stolen books to Schulman for a take of the profit. Prosecutors have stated that Priore earned over $117,700 between 2010 to 2017.

The missing books were discovered following an independent audit of the library occurred in April of last year, which saw Priore fired. More than $1.1 million worth of rare books have been recovered so far. Newton’s Principia was the most valuable book stolen, but it has since been recovered and is now safely in the District Attorney’s office.