Attempted Sale of Rare Books from the National Agricultural Library
On Monday, July 17 the National Agricultural Library (NAL) received a call
from a book dealer in Baltimore, Maryland reporting that two men attempted
to sell him three volumes from the National Agricultural Library's rare book
collection. The men claimed that the volumes were discovered while cleaning
out a house. It is known that the two men have tried to sell these volumes
to at least one additional dealer.
The USDA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is investigating. NAL and
the OIG ask your cooperation and assistance in recovering these volumes,
described below:
Historia Plantarum 1561 Lyon Vellum bound with
woodcut illustrations
Dodonaei de Stirpium Historia 1564 Vellum bound with woodcut
illustrations
Unknown title 1572 London Vellum bound with
woodcut illustrations
All three volumes have pinhole stamps saying "USDA LIB" and one volume also
contains a Library book plate.
If you have any information regarding these materials, please contact James
Knorr, Office of the Inspector General, 301-504-2015.
NAL has increased security of its collections in recent years and is nearing
completion of an evaluation of Special Collections holdings. As more
information becomes available, we will keep you informed. If you have
questions and/or need additional information, contact Maria G. Pisa,
Associate Director for Public Services at 301-504-5834 or [log in to unmask]
PAMELA Q. J. ANDRÉ
Director, National Agricultural Library
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