Photo: Unique edition of the Codex Atlanticus as it was in the 1600. The book is a box made by Pompeo Leoni to collect all the pages. Made by Mario Taddei in the 2007. courtesy Wikimedia Commons, illustration unrelated to the theft.
In a scene befitting no less than Mission Impossible, a gang stole more than £2 million worth of antiquarian books from a warehouse in west London in a daring heist earlier this month, according to a report from The Mail on Sunday.
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The three thieves broke into the warehouse by climbing up to the roof, boring holes through the reinforced glass-fiber skylights, then rappelling down 40 feet of rope while avoiding setting off motion-sensor alarms. Once inside, they took more than 160 rare books that were being held at a warehouse near Heathrow airport en route to the United States for the 50th California International Antiquarian Book Fair.
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Experts suggest the thieves spent hours at the warehouse, amassing a collection of titles of tremendous historical value. The thieves could be seen on CCTV headed straight for the six sealed metal trunks containing the books, prying four open, checking the books against stock lists, and discarding any unwanted titles.
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