Spedding's material stolen from the British Library

James Spedding's collection, used to bring his Bacon's Works to publication, is an immense bulk of material that is supposed to reside in the British Library. This collection is reference #H 011903.d.1.

Upon requesting this material in 2006 upon my visit, it was unfortunately missing and I was informed that it had been stolen. Two years later, 2008, I was curious if Spedding's material had turned up.

In corresponding with the library, I informed them of my visit in 2006, hoping that I was not blamed for the stolen material, as a jest, and in response received this email.

Please note, that it is thought best, for anonymity reasons, not to publish names:

From: P... S...
Date: 11/02/2008 12:03:34
To: ...@ ...
Subject: FW: Re: Change needed to web site

Dear Ms ...

Firstly I would like to say that we you were not accused of stealing the collection, as this occurred in June 2006 and you visited the Library in August, it is our duty to inform customers of any problems, and this is just what the staff concerned was doing.

Regards
S... P...
Permissions Manager

British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB

The material stolen was published by Bernard Quaritch in 1904 and put up for sale with the following entry:

The collection of books used by James Spedding as his working library
in preparing his edition of the Works of Sir Francis Bacon.
Offered for sale by
Bernard Quaritch
1904

Bacon Collection. The collection of books used by James Spedding (1808–1881), the accomplished editor of the Works of Sir Francis Bacon, as his working library in bringing out that “unsurpassable model of thorough and scholarlike editing.” 363 vols. In 318, folio, 4to., and 8vo. Price of the collection, £400 net.

This collection should be an invaluable acquisition to a public library or to a collector of Baconiana, as it includes a number of the first and early editions of Bacon’s Works and those of his contemporaries, some of them of great rarity, and also a valuable collection of books in Baconian literature. Additional value is given to many of the books from the fact that they are enriched with Spedding’s MS. Notes (all the cases in which they occur are
not mentioned below). A few volumes have been added by me to strengthen the collection, but the great bulk is as Spedding owned it.