Lost Book Hunt At The British Library

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 180 months ago
Lost Book Hunt At The British Library

BL.jpg In an example of 'how on earth did that happen?', it transpires that the British Library have 'misplaced' 9,000 books in its collection, including a first edition of Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray, some irreplaceable medieval and Renaissance texts and a luxury edition of Mein Kampf. (Yes, you read that right. It's a 1939, Hitler's 50th birthday edition. Erm.) The BL don't suspect light-fingered bibliophiles, however; they reckon the majority of the books have just got lost in the 625km of shelving. SInce the lost works are worth thousands of pounds, we recommend having a quick look down the back of the bookcase or in that bag that hasn't been used for months. Are they sure they didn't lend anything to a forgetful friend? Did the dog eat it? It just goes to show - even the Dewey system can be undermined by the fleshy organic things that use it. (Image / Ian Muttoo)

Last Updated 17 March 2009