Recovery of 23 Rare Books from the Durning-Lawrence Collection
Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) International Service – Elaheh Shams: With the diligent pursuit of Dr. Karen Attar, Curator of Rare Books at Senate House Library, twenty-three stolen books from the Durning-Lawrence Library, which had disappeared in 2008, were recovered from a bookseller in Barcelona; a case that took eighteen years to resolve and has now returned a portion of the legacy of Francis Bacon and Shakespeare’s works to the collection.
This valuable collection, comprising approximately five thousand seven hundred and fifty volumes from the 15th to the 20th century, was amassed by Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence (1837–1914); a collection shaped by his interest and belief in the theory that Francis Bacon was the true author of Shakespeare’s works. Alongside hundreds of English and foreign editions of Bacon’s works, the Durning-Lawrence treasure includes books on symbology, Shakespearean sources, early historical and biblical texts, Rosicrucian works, and first editions of Shakespeare’s folios.
In 1929, the donation of this collection to the University of London opened a new path for Senate House Library, establishing its current position as one of the most important centers for Shakespearean studies. For years, these books were kept in a special room – a room equipped with cabinets that had previously been in Durning-Lawrence’s home at ‘Carlton House Terrace’.
The 2008 theft was a great shock to collectors. The books, with their ownership marks removed, entered the antique book market. However, two British collectors, who had each independently purchased a volume of the works, returned them after realizing their true origin. The collaboration of one of these individuals with Maggs Brothers finally traced the other books to a bookstore in Barcelona. With notification to the Metropolitan Police London and the British and International Antiquarian Booksellers Associations, the Spanish police issued an order to halt the sale.
The release of the books from seizure was deferred to a Spanish judge, and this process remained stalled for years; until 2024, when the annual conference of the Association of Historical Libraries, focusing on ‘Security in Historical Libraries,’ revived the case. London police, with Interpol’s follow-up, advanced judicial coordination. Finally, eighteen years later, the Spanish seller returned the books.
When the books were delivered after this long period, signs of theft were evident: the special Durning-Lawrence stamp had been cut from the corner of the initial pages, labels and catalog numbers were erased, and several supplementary leaves were missing. Nevertheless, fortunately, the structure of the books remained intact, and based on cataloging information – including owner’s notes on title pages, repaired leaves, and specific binding characteristics – authenticity could be determined.
Among the recovered works are two rare editions of Bacon’s final work, Sylva Sylvarum, in Latin, published by Elzevir in 1648 and 1661. Also among the returned works is the first French edition of David Mallet’s Life of Francis Bacon (1742). Another copy, titled Francis, Lord Bacon: or, The Case of Private and National Corruption and Bribery Impartially Consider’d (1721), was a critical response to the ‘South Sea Bubble’ financial scandal; a work whose popularity led to seven editions in the same year.
Works such as Robert Whittle’s The Way to the Celestiall Paradise (1620), dedicated to Bacon, and two editions of William Martyn’s The Historie and Liues of the Kings of England (1615 and 1628)* are among the other recovered volumes. Images on the title pages of two other books have also been interpreted as symbols of Bacon’s authorship in Shakespeare’s works.
These works have now returned to their historical place and once again complete the Durning-Lawrence collection. Senate House Library has announced that the recovered editions will be displayed for public viewing in November and December.
