The ABAA holds its members to high ethical standards. This includes asking members to do all they can to prevent the theft of and traffic in stolen manuscripts, books, and other printed material or to help prevent the traffic in frauds and forgeries. This job is handled in part by the ABAA Security Committee.
If you have had books stolen or gone missing, you can contact the ABAA headquarters in New York to have the material added to the ABAA Security Blog. If you suspect a forgery, we may be able to make a referral that can help you authenticate your material.
The cooperation of an ethical dealer is only one part of the process when you suffer a loss. Contact the appropriate law enforcement agencies to file a report in case of loss or theft. This is a critical step to help in the recovery of lost material. ABAA members have worked with local law enforcement agencies, FBI, Homeland Security and Interpol in efforts against biblio‐crime.
Crime & Punishment
The ABAA Security Blog will keep you up to date with the latest in stolen, missing or fraudulent material. You can also read about ABAA members who have put a stop to theft and forgery. Ken Sanders catches a man who loved books too much. Jeremy Norman writes about a noble Italian mathematician with sticky fingers.
Also see Library and Archival Security News from the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries, or The Society of American Archivists' “Introduction for Archivists” for the ACRL/RBMS Guidelines regarding security and theft.
The ABAA Security Committee
The Security Committee shall be responsible for establishing and maintaining contact with both the Association membership and the bookselling and library communities at large on matters pertaining to the theft of books and other printed materials, and manuscripts, and the trafficking thereof; shall promote security measures which may assist in the prevention of book theft; shall cooperate with law enforcement authorities in the effort to recover and return stolen materials to their rightful owners; and, shall assist, when practical, in the apprehension of those responsible for the theft.
Legal Disclaimer
The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (“ABAA”) makes available a Blog (“Blog”) which contains information regarding stolen or missing rare and antiquarian books, prints, or maps reported by ABAA Members and the general public (“Information”). The Information provided through this Blog is for informational and educational purposes only. The ABAA does not in any way check or review the information reported to the Blog, and thus cannot guarantee the accuracy, timeliness or completeness of the Information. Viewers alone will bear the sole responsibility of evaluating the merits and risks associated with the use of any of the Information described on the Blog or before making any decisions based on Information contained in the Blog. The Information provided through this Blog is for the personal use of the viewer only and no reproduction or distribution of the Information may be made for any commercial purposes. The viewer assumes all risk involved with the use of the Information on this Blog and agrees to hold the ABAA harmless from and against any and all liability arising from the use of the Information on this Blog.