Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja

Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja
painting
Born1 January 1803
Florence, Italy
Died28 September 1869(1869-09-28) (aged 66)
Fiesole, Italy
NationalityItalian
EducationDegree in mathematics (1820)
Alma materUniversity of Pisa
OccupationProfessor of mathematics
Known forBook and manuscript theft

Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja (1 January 1803 – 28 September 1869) was an Italian count and mathematician, who became known for his love and subsequent theft of ancient and precious manuscripts.[1] After being appointed the Inspector of Libraries in France, Libri began stealing the books he was responsible for. He fled to England when the theft was discovered, along with 30,000 books and manuscripts inside 18 trunks. In France, he was sentenced to 10 years in jail in absentia; some of the stolen works were returned when he died, but many remained missing.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Willsher was invoked but never defined (see the help page).