Associate Professor and curator of rare books Travis McDade recently wrote an article for the site Atlas Obscura about Robert Kindred and Richard Green, who in the summer of 1980 embarked on a road trip to college campuses across the country with the aim of stealing rare books and manuscripts from college libraries. They came away with $10,000 worth of materials after breaking into the stacks and lowering the books out of the window by rope. It was a University of Illinois employee that eventually thwarted their efforts, and they were arrested. You can read the full story here.
On October 4th you can hear from Professor McDade at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center. He will be giving a talk on crimes against rare books, maps, documents and other printed cultural heritage resources, and there will be a Q & A after. Refreshments will be served beginning at 5:15 p.m., and the lecture will begin at 5:45. The cost is $10 per person, and you can make your reservation here.
Photo of The Holy Land, the book that Kindred was attempted to steal when he was apprehended, was taken by Travis McDade.