The Book Thief

The Eight Million Dollar Book Theft Guest: Travis McDade, Curator of Law Rare Books and Associate Professor of Library Service at University of Illinois College of Law Some criminals steal diamonds or gold bullion. Others steal books. A rare and valuable copy of Ptolemy’s "La Geographia," printed in 1548, was stolen from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh sometime in the last 25 years. This alone is a noteworthy crime, but it was just the beginning. Eventually, roughly 300 other rare books were stolen from the library in an $8 million bit-by-bit book heist.  It's a story of a librarian who went bad and the sleuthing to crack the case and recover the books. Beardmore Hoax Guest: Douglas Hunter, journalist, historian, and author of "Beardmore: The Viking Hoax that Rewrote History" Uncovering ancient Viking relics in your backyard is highly improbable, especially in central North America. What’s even more unlikely is museum directors, renowned scholars, and the press defending the discovery even when the archaeology doesn’t add up. Author Douglas Hunter joins us to talk about the notorious 20th century scandal of Beardmore, and the schoolteacher and geologist who took on powerful academic institutions in a quest for the truth.