Stolen Whitney Family Rare Books Worth $2+ Million Recovered After 40 Years

Today, the descendants of former MoMA president John Hay Whitney are set to receive seventeen rare books, valued at over $2 million, which were stolen from his Long Island estate nearly 40 years ago. The collection was retrieved by Manhattan District Attorney Alfred Bragg Jr.'s Antiquities Trafficking Unit following an attempted sale in January. Among the notable pieces are a gilt morocco-bound portfolio containing eight handwritten letters from John Keats to Frances "Fanny" Brawne, a first edition of Aleister Crowley's poetry, and a signed first edition of James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake. The theft was uncovered in 1989, with the Nassau County Police notified. The person trying to sell the books is not considered a suspect. The Whitney heirs intend to auction the collection and donate the proceeds.