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Plot twist: Rare books worth $3 million stolen decades ago resurface in Manhattan

By

Ben Feuerherd

Published Apr 20, 2026

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Rare books – including a bound collection of love letters by poet John Keats – were stolen from the Long Island estate of John Hay Whitney, a wealthy New York publisher.

 

Ben Feuerherd / Gothamist

By

Ben Feuerherd

Published Apr 20, 2026

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More than two dozen rare books — including a bound collection of love letters by poet John Keats — were stolen at some point between 1982 and 1989 from the Long Island estate of John Hay Whitney, a wealthy New York publisher who once served as president of the Museum of Modern Art.

The location of the books mostly remained a mystery for decades. But in 2025, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said 17 of the books resurfaced when a young man tried to sell them to rare book dealers in Manhattan. The man, who was not identified, said he had inherited them from him from his grandfather, according to the DA's office. The dealers contacted the office, which secured a search warrant to seize them.

On Monday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg, prosecutors in his Antiquities Trafficking Unit and a grandson of John Whitney announced the 17 books would be returned to the family, which intends to auction them off and donate the proceeds. They’re worth about $3 million, the DA’s office said in a statement.

“It’s incredibly meaningful for the family,” Peter di Bonaventura, a grandson of John Whitney, said at a press conference Monday. “My grandparents were extraordinary collectors … and this is one example of their taste and their skill.”

The most valuable piece in the collection is the collection of letters Keats wrote to his fiancee, Fanny Brawne, according to the DA’s office. It includes eight handwritten letters, including the first-ever letter he wrote to her. The collection was later sold at auction by Brawne’s children, which inspired Oscar Wilde to pen the sonnet "On the Sale By Auction of Keats’ Love Letters." The collection of letters is worth about $2 million, according to the DA’s office.

Other items returned Monday include letters written by Oscar Wilde, a signed edition of "Finnegan’s Wake" by James Joyce and "Household Stories of Grimm" that features 12 original drawings by Walter Crane.

In brief remarks, Bragg thanked the rare book dealers for contacting law enforcement and said his office is committed to making sure antiquities on display and for sale in Manhattan are legally acquired.

“We are the capital in so many ways. We have to also be the capital … in authenticity,” he said. “This type of illegal activity shouldn’t happen anywhere. We’re not going to let it happen in Manhattan.

The investigation into how the books were stolen and the remaining 11 missing books is ongoing, the DA’s office said.

Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos said the man who tried to sell the books has not been accused of wrongdoing.

“The individual who we seized the books from wasn’t even born at the time of the thefts, so he didn’t do it,” Bogdanos said.

Tagged

manhattan

public safety

Ben Feuerherd

Ben Feuerherd covers public safety and policing for WNYC and Gothamist. He previously covered federal courts for The New York Post and The Messenger. His work has also appeared in POLITICO, the Daily Beast and NBC New York. Got a tip? Email [email protected].

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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