A rare atlas valued at some $836,000 has been recovered by French authorities in London nine months after it was stolen from the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.
Reuters reported May 29 that the book—Ptolemy's Cosmographia, printed in Bologna, Italy, in 1477—was listed for sale at a London auction planned by Christie's. It was offered by an unnamed Frenchman with false ownership papers. He will be brought before a French judge June 19, the report said.
Posted June 8, 1998.