Guglielmo Libri (1802-1869) was born in Florence into a noble family. During his childhood, his father was sent to prison on charges of sedition and, after serving his sentence, was pursued by numerous creditors (McCrimmon, 1966). Fleeing his family situation, Libri found refuge in books. He specialized in mathematics and graduated from the University of Pisa, where he taught after completing his studies. In 1824, he visited Paris for the first time and was infected by the revolutionary spirit of the country; from that moment on, he participated in various revolts that led to his exile from Tuscany.
In the 1830s, he settled in Paris and began working at the Collège de France and the Sorbonne (Fiocca and Nagliati, 2009). During these years, his interest in books had not waned, and in 1841 he participated in the creation of a general catalog of manuscripts in French libraries. However, Libri did not only compile the copies, but also stole those he liked (Staudacher, 1952; Fontaine, 1953). In 1842, suspicions began to arise about his activities, and in 1845, Libri was forced to leave the French capital (Maccioni, 1991). He moved to London, where he sold some of the books he had stolen in France.
Bibliography
(1864): Catalogue of the magnificent collection of precious manuscripts and objects of art and vertu of Guglielmo Libri, Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, Londres.
MCCRIMMON, Barbara (1966): "The Libri Case", vol. 1, nº 1, The Journal of Library History.
SOTHEBY, Leigh y WILKINSON, John (1858): Catalogue of the extraordinary collection of splendid manuscripts, chiefly upon vellum, in various languages of Europe and the East : formed by M. Guglielmo Libri, Londres.
STAUDACHER, Wilhelm (1952): "Guglielmo Libri. Die Geschiehte eines Bibliothekdiebes", vol. 2, Libri. International Library Review.