90:
daughter-in-law. Whereas he appears to have been slow and meticulous when selling the stolen works (either when doing it himself or instructing his family to do it) and none are confirmed to have been sold in the first couple of decades after they were stolen, following his death his family became more careless. At a coordinated raid of the family's homes in
Germany and Denmark in November 2003, some 1,800 books were recovered, including 1,500 in the home of Frede Møller-Kristensen and his wife (then widow). Subsequently, further works were recovered. In 2005, a comprehensive inventory found that 622 antique works (books and similar) were still missing from the Royal Library's collection, of which slightly more than
61:. Many of the stolen books were relatively small and thin, making it easier to smuggle them out of the library. All works published before the year 1500 and the most important works published after 1530 were housed separately in the library under higher security and nothing was stolen from those collections. The smaller number of more recently published works (not antiques) that were stolen are generally of low economic value and can typically be replaced.
122:
guilty, receiving a ten-month suspended prison sentence and DKK146,000 (US$ 25,000) that she had received from her parents were seized. A DKK17.9 million (US$ 3 million) civil suit, equalling the estimated amount that would be needed to recuperate the still missing works that are known to have been sold, was filed against the widow in 2005, but it was considered unlikely that she could pay because of her limited economic means and poor health.
108:, which became a serious hindrance to his work in the 1980s. Colleagues saw him as friendly, quiet and almost appearing anonymous; during his employment nobody had considered him as the potentiel perpetrator. Because he was the director of the department where many works were stolen, he had been able to partially suppress information about the disappearances in the initial phase in the 1970s.
44:. The perpetrator was an employee at the library who stole the works between 1970 (possibly even starting in 1967) and 1978, but the case was only resolved in 2003. Most works have since been recovered, but a few hundred remain missing. It has been called the most significant cultural theft in Denmark since the
121:
to three years in prison and a DKK623,613 (US$ 106,000) fine, Thomas Møller-Kristensen, his 42-year-old son, got two years; Silke
Albrecht, his 33-year-old daughter-in-law, and a family friend, each received 18 months; the friend was acquitted on appeal. In 2005, a 40-year-old daughter was also found
89:
and they contacted the Danish Royal
Library. The thief, a director (at the time of the theft) of the Royal Library's oriental department named Frede Møller-Kristensen, had died in January 2003. The people attempting to sell the large number of books at the Christie's auction house were his widow and
116:
Because Frede Møller-Kristensen had died before the case was solved, nobody was charged for the theft itself, but four family members and a friend were charged with possession and selling of stolen goods. His widow insisted on her innocence, but her detailed diary became a primary piece of evidence
56:
The works (books and similar) were primarily stolen from the library's antique collections, published in the 16th to 18th century, almost entirely foreign (only a few were Danish) and chosen based on their perceived economic value, often targeting illustrated works and other types of works that are
100:
potentially were stolen by Frede Møller-Kristensen (the remaining were lost in other ways earlier, for example during war evacuations). From 1997 to 2002, the thief and his family are known to have sold 77 books for about DKK10 million (US$ 1.7 million) at various international auctions, and it is
64:
Suspicion of theft –or at least recognition that some works were missing– began in the early 1970s, but it was only in 1975 that systematic theft was confirmed. Further security measures were introduced and in 1978 this was extended to checking the pockets and bags of employees, at which point the
69:
and international antique book traders. Although there were several theories regarding potential perpetrator(s), none were based on more than speculations, but it was recognized that it likely was an
104:
During his employment at the library, Frede Møller-Kristensen was regarded as a well-educated and very knowledgeable librarian and researcher, although he gradually developed an
65:
thefts stopped. The police became involved in the mid-1970s and a detailed investigation was performed. Wanted notices for missing works were forwarded to
313:
81:
The case was solved in
September 2003 when a person wanted to sell a large number of antique books, including one that was particularly rare, at the
396:
233:
480:
183:
421:
73:. There was very little solid evidence and few leads; the police investigation had completely stalled by the mid-1980s.
208:
518:
458:
508:
523:
513:
45:
286:
365:"The Anatomy of a Crime Discovery after 25 Years. A Notable Case of Book Theft and its Detection"
341:
140:
118:
37:
264:
8:
32:
history. Almost 3,200 works (books and similar), estimated in 2003 to have a value of
117:
in the case. In 2004, Eva Møller-Kristensen, the 69-year-old widow, was sentenced in
376:
21:
364:
58:
502:
82:
33:
105:
70:
41:
381:
314:"Opklaringen af bogtyverierne pĂĄ Det Kongelige Bibliotek i 1970'erne"
66:
101:
estimated that up to 250 of the stolen books may have been sold.
29:
86:
397:"77 stjålne bøger fra Det Kongelige Bibliotek mangler stadig"
336:
334:
36:
150-300 million (US$ 24–48 million), were stolen from the
389:
331:
259:
257:
255:
253:
251:
141:"Police close to solving library thefts 25 years on"
481:"Bogtyvens enke afkræves erstatning på 18 mio. kr"
248:
500:
443:"Four Convicted in Danish Royal Library Theft".
416:
414:
447:. Vol. 35, no. 7. 2004. p. 28.
308:
306:
304:
234:"Det Kgl. Bibliotek efterlyser stjålne bøger"
203:
201:
228:
226:
411:
209:"Milliontyveri fra Det Kongelige Bibliotek"
301:
279:
198:
186:(in Danish). Det Kongelige Bibliotek. 2006
380:
362:
319:. Det Kongelige Bibliotek. 5 January 2005
223:
178:
176:
174:
172:
170:
168:
166:
164:
162:
160:
363:Jørgensen, Jesper Düring (2007-04-19).
501:
344:. Kristeligt Dagblad. 12 December 2003
157:
399:. Kristeligt Dagblad. 6 December 2004
138:
461:. Kristeligt Dagblad. 14 April 2005
459:"Betinget dom til bogtyvens datter"
424:. Jyllands-Posten. 17 December 2004
13:
236:. Jyllands-Posten. 2 February 2005
14:
535:
287:"Flere års fængsel for bogtyveri"
28:) was the largest book theft in
473:
451:
436:
356:
132:
111:
1:
267:. Politiken. 19 December 2003
125:
76:
57:popular among international
51:
7:
422:"Når en hæler fører dagbog"
342:"En mand uden for mistanke"
10:
540:
483:. Politiken. 23 June 2005
139:Olsen, Jan (2003-12-11).
46:Golden Horns of Gallehus
119:Copenhagen's City Court
519:Royal Library, Denmark
25:
265:"Det Store Bogtyveri"
184:"Det Store Bogtyveri"
48:were stolen in 1802.
509:Crime in Copenhagen
211:. TV2. 4 April 2008
26:Det store bogtyveri
445:American Libraries
524:Trials in Denmark
514:Individual thefts
289:. DR. 3 June 2004
85:auction house in
531:
493:
492:
490:
488:
477:
471:
470:
468:
466:
455:
449:
448:
440:
434:
433:
431:
429:
418:
409:
408:
406:
404:
393:
387:
386:
384:
382:10.18352/lq.7874
360:
354:
353:
351:
349:
338:
329:
328:
326:
324:
318:
310:
299:
298:
296:
294:
283:
277:
276:
274:
272:
261:
246:
245:
243:
241:
230:
221:
220:
218:
216:
205:
196:
195:
193:
191:
180:
155:
154:
152:
151:
136:
99:
98:
94:
18:great book theft
539:
538:
534:
533:
532:
530:
529:
528:
499:
498:
497:
496:
486:
484:
479:
478:
474:
464:
462:
457:
456:
452:
442:
441:
437:
427:
425:
420:
419:
412:
402:
400:
395:
394:
390:
369:LIBER Quarterly
361:
357:
347:
345:
340:
339:
332:
322:
320:
316:
312:
311:
302:
292:
290:
285:
284:
280:
270:
268:
263:
262:
249:
239:
237:
232:
231:
224:
214:
212:
207:
206:
199:
189:
187:
182:
181:
158:
149:
147:
137:
133:
128:
114:
106:alcohol problem
96:
92:
91:
79:
59:book collectors
54:
12:
11:
5:
537:
527:
526:
521:
516:
511:
495:
494:
472:
450:
435:
410:
388:
355:
330:
300:
278:
247:
222:
197:
156:
130:
129:
127:
124:
113:
110:
78:
75:
53:
50:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
536:
525:
522:
520:
517:
515:
512:
510:
507:
506:
504:
482:
476:
460:
454:
446:
439:
423:
417:
415:
398:
392:
383:
378:
374:
370:
366:
359:
343:
337:
335:
315:
309:
307:
305:
288:
282:
266:
260:
258:
256:
254:
252:
235:
229:
227:
210:
204:
202:
185:
179:
177:
175:
173:
171:
169:
167:
165:
163:
161:
146:
142:
135:
131:
123:
120:
109:
107:
102:
88:
84:
74:
72:
68:
62:
60:
49:
47:
43:
39:
38:Royal Library
35:
31:
27:
23:
19:
485:. Retrieved
475:
463:. Retrieved
453:
444:
438:
426:. Retrieved
401:. Retrieved
391:
372:
368:
358:
346:. Retrieved
321:. Retrieved
291:. Retrieved
281:
269:. Retrieved
238:. Retrieved
213:. Retrieved
188:. Retrieved
148:. Retrieved
145:the Guardian
144:
134:
115:
103:
80:
63:
55:
17:
15:
112:Convictions
503:Categories
150:2022-03-27
126:References
83:Christie's
77:Resolution
71:inside job
42:Copenhagen
52:The theft
67:Interpol
95:⁄
487:3 July
465:3 July
428:3 July
403:3 July
348:3 July
323:3 July
293:3 July
271:3 July
240:3 July
215:3 July
190:3 July
87:London
30:Danish
22:Danish
375:(1).
317:(PDF)
489:2023
467:2023
430:2023
405:2023
350:2023
325:2023
295:2023
273:2023
242:2023
217:2023
192:2023
16:The
377:doi
40:in
34:DKK
505::
413:^
373:17
371:.
367:.
333:^
303:^
250:^
225:^
200:^
159:^
143:.
24::
491:.
469:.
432:.
407:.
385:.
379::
352:.
327:.
297:.
275:.
244:.
219:.
194:.
153:.
97:3
93:2
20:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.