Stolen map finds its way back to the Boston Public Library
A rare map depicting the New England and Canadian coast has been returned to the Boston Public Library.
The “Carte Geographique de la Nouvelle France’’ was created by French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1612, and stolen from the BPL in 2003, according to a library press release. Boston Public Library’s map curator, Ronald Grim, found the missing map advertised by a New York antiques dealer, and identified it by its distinctive flaws.
The map was on sale for almost $300,000, but Grim managed to prove the library’s ownership with the help of an outside expert. The dealer returned it just before Thanksgiving.
As of 2005, the library was still missing 69 maps, according to the release. E. Forbes Smiley confessed to stealing 34 rare maps from the BPL, but denied stealing the Champlain map. The Boston Globe reports he was the last person to view it, according to library records.
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