A library thief decimated the rare-book collections of academic libraries across the U.S. during a 1980 crime spree. Professor Travis McDade, the curator of law rare books at the University of Illinois College of Law and an expert on rare-book crimes, tells the story of the thefts and how the thief was caught in his new book, “Torn from Their Bindings: A Story of Art, Science, and the Pillaging of American University Libraries.” McDade became interested in the story after buying some prints from the U. of I. Library that had been recovered from a different theft. He recently spoke to the Illinois News Bureau about the book.

Read the full interview at news.illinois.edu.