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Marsh's Library Exhibits

Hunting Stolen Books

an online exhibition

About

This is the online version of an exhibition mounted in Marsh's Library.

 

1,185.

 

That is how many books went missing from the shelves in the 133 years after the library was established in 1707. This exhibition tells the story of some of those books which were returned, retrieved or replaced.

When scrolling down, you can click on the thumb-nail images for fuller details about each book.

 

Exhibit

Click thumbnails to see more

001A Defaced Valentinian 01.jpg
STOLEN: BOOK MUTILATED
1. Valentinian: A Tragedy. As ’tis Alter’d by the late Earl of Rochester, and Acted at the Theatre-Royal (London, 1685).
Vibrant watercolor paintings included in the book
IMAGES STOLEN: STILL MISSING
2. Original watercolours for A Natural History of Birds, 3 vols (London, 1731–8).
Fraction of a map of America
STOLEN 1976: RETURNED 1976
3. John Speed, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine … As also A Prospect of the most Famous Parts of the World (London, 1676).
Title page of the book, featuring Narcissus Marsh's Greek motto
STOLEN 1982?: RETURNED 1982
4. A Clear and Learned Explication of the History of Our Blessed Saviour Jesus Christ (Dublin, 1695).
Heavily annotated pages
STOLEN BEFORE 1995: RETURNED 2012
5. Claudius Galenus, Opera omnia, 5 vols, (Basle, 1538).
Torn title page of the book
STOLEN BEFORE 1828: RETURNED 1890
6. Peter Davys, Adminiculum puerile, or, an help for school boys...for the use of St. Patrick’s-school (Dublin, 1694).
Ornately illustrated first page
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: RETURNED 1841
7.  A Comedy concernynge thre lawes, of nature Moses, & Christ, corrupted by the Sodomytes, Pharysees and Papystes ([Wesel], 1538 [i.e. 1548?]).
Ripped front page of the book
STOLEN BEFORE 1838: RETURNED 1840
8. Thomas Guidott, A Discourse of Bathe, and the Hot Waters There. Also, Some Enquiries into the nature of the Water of St. Vincent’s Rock, near Bristol (London, 1676).
Third page of the Greek text, adorned with a red and blue initial
STOLEN BEFORE 1828: RETURNED 1866
9. Isocrates, Orationes. Alcidamantis Contra Dicendi Magistros ([Venice, 1513]).
Title page of "Opera Omnia"
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: RETURNED 1849
10. Jacopo Sannazaro, Opera Omnia (Lyon, 1605).
Fold-out map of Ireland, highlighting the different provinces
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: REPLACED 1925
11. A Geographicall Description of ye Kingdom of Ireland. Collected from ye actual Survey made by Sr. William Petty corrected and amended (London, [1689]).
Title page of "The Present state of Ireland"
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: REPLACED 1927
12. The Present state of Ireland: Together with some Remarques Upon the Antient State thereof. Likewise a Description of the Chief Towns: With a Map of the Kingdome (London, 1673).
Front page of the "Botanalogia Universalis Hibernica"
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: REPLACED 1927
13. John K’eogh, Botanalogia Universalis Hibernica, Or, A General Irish Herbal Calculated for this Kingdom (Cork, 1735).
Title page with a description of the book's contents
STOLEN BEFORE 1780: REPLACED 1925
14. Gerard Boate, Ireland’s Naturall History. Being a true and ample Description of its Situation, Greatness, Shape, and Nature (London, 1652).
Cork detail.jpg
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: REPLACED 1927
15. Charles Smith, The Antient and Present State of the County and City of Cork, in Four Books, 2 vols, (Dublin, 1750).
016. Reduction 1 A.jpg
STOLEN BEFORE 1828: REPLACED 1925
16. Edmund Borlase, The Reduction of Ireland To the Crown of England. With the Governors since the Conquest by King Henry II... (London, 1675).
Title page of the second  English edition
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: REPLACED 1936
17. Pierre Gautruche, The Poetical Histories, Being A Compleat Collection of all the Stories Necessary for a Perfect Understanding of the Greek and Latine poets, and other Ancient Authors, 2nd edn, (London, 1672).
Title page, including an excerpt of  Virgil's Eclogues
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: REPLACED 1936
18. Basil Kennett, The Lives and Characters Of the Ancient Grecian Poets (London, 1697).
romedetail.jpg
STOLEN BEFORE 1766: REPLACED 1943
19. Basil Kennett, Romae Antiquae Notitia: Or, The Antiquities of Rome, 7th edn, (Dublin, 1724).
Illustrated title page
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: REPLACED 1927
20. John Bond (ed.), Q. Horatius Flaccus Cum commentariis selectissimis Variorum: & scholiis integris (Leiden, 1663).
Illustrated title page, including a portrait
STOLEN BEFORE 1828: REPLACED 1936
21. Joannes Secundus, Opera (Leiden, 1651).
Portrait of Sultan Mahomet the IV
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: REPLACED 1934
22. Henry Marsh, A New Survey of the Turkish Empire and Government, in a Brief History deduced to this present Time, and the Reign of the now Grand Seignior Mahomet the IV… As also an Account of the Siege of Newhausel (London, 1663).
Illustration, picturing the throne room of the palace of Siam
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: REPLACED 1846
23. Guy Tachard, A Relation of the Voyage to Siam. Performed by Six Jesuits, Sent by the French King, to the Indies and China, in the Year, 1685 (London, 1688).
guinea detail.jpg
STOLEN BEFORE 1766: REPLACED 1858
24. Willem Bosman, A New and Accurate Description of the Coast of Guinea, Divided into the Gold, the Slave, and the Ivory Coasts (London, 1705).
Illustration of the island's funeral customs
STOLEN BEFORE 1766: REPLACED 1925
25. George Psalmanaazaar, An Historical and Geographical Description of Formosa, An Island subject to the Emperor of Japan (London, 1704).
Title page, containing a brief summary
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: REPLACED 1858
26, Bernard Randolph, The Present State of the Morea, Called Anciently Peloponnesus: Together with a Description of the City of Athens (London, 1689).
Front page, including a brief description of Confucius
STOLEN BEFORE 1828: REPLACED 1931
27. The Morals of Confucius A Chinese Philosopher, Who flourished above Five Hundred Years before the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (London, 1691).
Illustration picturing multiple animals
STOLEN BEFORE 1766: REPLACED 1933
28. The Sportsman’s Dictionary: Or, the Country Gentleman’s Companion, In all Rural Recreations, 2 vols, (London, 1735).
Title page of the book, including a table of contents
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: REPLACED 1926
29. John Jones, The Mysteries of Opium Reveal’d (London, 1701).
Title page of "Astronomia Carolina"
STOLEN BEFORE 1767: REPLACED 1853
30. Thomas Streete, Astronomia Carolina: A New Theory of the Coelestial Motions, 2nd edn (London, 1710).

Credits

Exhibition curated by Marjorie Leonard and Jason McElligott

Online version curated by Meltem Cekic


Jason McElligott is the Keeper of Marsh’s Library.
Marjorie Leonard recently completed a M.Phil in Public History and Cultural Heritage at Trinity College Dublin. She is now pursuing a career in heritage in Brussels.

Meltem Cekic is a student of Librarianship at the Ludwig-Maximilians University Library and the Vocational College for Media Professions in Munich. She spent May 2017 in Marsh’s Library as an intern under the Erasmus+scheme.

Web design by Sue Hemmens based on exhibition design concept by Alan Costello. Powered by Omeka with Bootstrap.

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