‘National treasure’ on way back home (From The Northern Echo)

‘National treasure’ on way back home

7:44am Friday 24th October 2008 in News By Mark Tallentire

A LITERARY treasure alleged to have been stolen from a university library ten years ago is due to be returned to the region today, the Durham Times can reveal.

A plane carrying the rare first folio of the collected works of Shakespeare, which has been valued at up to £15m, is due to touch down at London’s Heathrow Airport this morning, before completing its journey back to the North- East.

Police officers and a university expert have spent several days in the US arranging for the volume’s safe return to the UK after its long absence.

Detectives are investigating allegations that the book is a copy of Shakespeare’s first folio, dating from 1623, which was stolen from Durham University shortly before Christmas 1998.

The Transatlantic investigation was launched in June when a North-East book dealer presented a volume to the Folger Shakespeare Library, in the US capital Washington, claiming to have bought it in Cuba.

Raymond Scott was later arrested during a police raid on his home in Wigeon Close, Washington, Wearside. He was released pending further inquiries and is due to answer bail next month.

The folio has since remained in the US, where it has been kept in cool conditions to aid its conservation.

But police confirmed that the book at the centre of the international mystery was due to return home on a flight from Washington today and will then be returned to the North-East.

Last night, Durham University declined to comment on the issue.

But a spokesman for Durham Police said: “Two detectives from the force’s major crime unit are due to return to the UK from America today, where they and a member of Durham University’s staff have been since last week.

“They are expected to bring with them the Shakespeare folio alleged to have been stolen from the university ten years ago.”

The return of the 900-page folio is thought to represent a major development in the lengthy police investigation.

A copy of the first folio, thought to be one of only 250 surviving copies in the world, was taken from the University Library, on Palace Green, Durham City, in December 1998.

The book is the earliest compilation of Shakespeare’s plays and was described by Durham University chancellor Bill Bryson as “a national treasure”.

It disappeared along with six other historic items: a 14th Century hand-written English translation of the New Testament, a 15th Century manuscript including a fragment of a poem by Canterbury Tales author Geoffrey Chaucer, two works by the 10th Century poet Aelfric, printed in 1566 and 1709, an edition of Beowulf printed in 1815 and a 1612 book of maps and poetry.

They had formed part of an exhibition charting the progress of English literature from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century, staged as part of an academic conference.

Mr Scott has previously insisted that the book recovered in Washington is not the volume stolen from Durham University and that he was confident no criminal charges would be brought against him.

The 51-year-old has called for the police to return the book to him so he can auction it and donate some of the proceeds to charity.