Dozens of 19th century Russian books worth €500,000 stolen from Warsaw library

Rare 19th-century Russian books worth an estimated €500,000 have been stolen from the University of Warsaw’s library, its rector has announced. Some have already been sold at auction and prosecutors have launched an investigation into the thefts, which may have taken place over a period of months.

The case came to light in mid-October, when it was discovered that a reader had left empty covers and dummy books in place of eight volumes that they had borrowed. That triggered a further inspection of the library’s 19th-century collection, leading to the discovery that as many as 80 volumes were missing.

The library’s director, Anna Wołodka, immediately reported the theft of the eight books to police. However, when it was discovered that dozens more were missing, she was dismissed on the grounds of negligence.

In a statement issued after her dismissal, Wołodko announced that she was appealing against the university’s decision to dismiss her. She argues that she took all necessary steps once the theft was discovered.

However, the university’s rector, Alojzy Nowak, issued a statement of his own yesterday in which he noted that Polish police had informed Wołodko about an individual suspected of stealing from the collections of the Latvian National Library in December.

Although the Polish library authorities identified that the same person had visited the Warsaw library twice in November last year, Wołodko did not take appropriate steps to prevent the thefts, said the rector. He added that books borrowed by the individual during his visits were not immediately inspected either.

“During the ten months (from December 2022 to 16 October 2023), valuable items from the BUW’s collection were being stolen,” wrote Nowak. “It could have possibly started even earlier than that.”

The rector noted that books with the library’s stamps had already been sold at foreign auctions, “reaching impressive prices…ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of euros per copy (e.g. one of the stolen first editions of Pushkin was sold on 22 December last year for €30,500)”.

“At present, the estimated value of the approximately 80 stolen items exceeds €500,000 (according to current auction prices),” he added.

Nowak revealed that the majority of the stolen items were first or early editions with significant historical and scientific value. “These books have survived a significant period of partition and wars, including two world wars. It is therefore an irreparable loss,” he added.

The public prosecutor’s office, which opened proceedings after the theft of eight books was reported in October, announced yesterday that two people – a man and a woman – had borrowed ten books, of which only two were returned in full, reports the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

They estimate the value of the eight books stolen at at least 200,000 zloty (€45,000). If caught and convicted, the perpetrators face up to ten years in prison.

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Main image credit: University of Warsaw (press materials)

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.