Denmark officials close book on decades-old royal library theft

COPENHAGEN —  A great literary mystery has been solved with the arrest of four people suspected of dealing in rare books worth up to $50 million that were stolen from Denmark’s Royal Library more than 30 years ago.

The library said the books dated as far back as the 16th century and included original works by historical notables such as Thomas More, John Milton, Immanuel Kant and Martin Luther.

The books were stolen in the 1960s and 1970s by a library employee, now deceased. His widow and three others allegedly sold some of the books but were arrested after they tried to sell a 500-year-old tome at Christie’s auction house in London.

The director general of Denmark’s Royal Library, Erland Kolding Nielsen, said Christie’s phoned him about a book from 1517 -- the only existing copy and registered as belonging to Denmark’s Royal Library.

“The suspect had apparently tried to remove a registration code, but we could still make out the book belonged to us,” Nielsen said.

The former librarian stole 3,200 books in all, of which about 1,800 have so far been recovered. Nielsen said about 100 books had been auctioned for about $1.7 million, including an original first edition copy of Thomas More’s “Utopia” for $244,000.

“The case has been open for 25 years. I never imagined I would live to see it solved,” Nielsen said.