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Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja (1 January 1803 – 28 September 1869) was an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
count and
mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...
, who became known for his love and subsequent theft of ancient and precious manuscripts. Appointed the Inspector of Libraries in France, Libri began stealing the books he was responsible for, fleeing to England when the theft was discovered, along with 30,000 books and manuscripts inside 18 trunks. He was sentenced in France to 10 years in jail ''in absentia''; some of the stolen works were returned when he died, but many remained missing.


Life


In Italy

He was born on
New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
, 1 January 1803 in Florence, Italy. He entered the
University of Pisa The University of Pisa ( it, Università di Pisa, UniPi), officially founded in 1343, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. History The Origins The University of Pisa was officially founded in 1343, although various scholars place ...
in 1816, starting to study law, but soon switching to mathematics. He graduated in 1820, his first works being praised by
Babbage Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. Babbage is considered ...
,
Cauchy Baron Augustin-Louis Cauchy (, ; ; 21 August 178923 May 1857) was a French mathematician, engineer, and physicist who made pioneering contributions to several branches of mathematics, including mathematical analysis and continuum mechanics. He w ...
, and
Gauss Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (; german: Gauß ; la, Carolus Fridericus Gauss; 30 April 177723 February 1855) was a German mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to many fields in mathematics and science. Sometimes refer ...
. In 1823, at the age of 20, he was appointed Professor of Mathematical Physics at
Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
, but did not relish teaching and the following year went on sabbatical leave, traveling to Paris. There, he became friends with many of the most prominent French mathematicians of the day, including Germain, Laplace, Poisson, Ampère, Fourier and Arago. Upon his return to Italy, he became involved in politics, conspiring with the secret society of the
Carbonari The Carbonari () was an informal network of secret revolutionary societies active in Italy from about 1800 to 1831. The Italian Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in France, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Uruguay and Ru ...
to advocate a liberal constitution in the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...
. Faced with arrest and prosecution, he fled to France


In France

In 1833, he became a French citizen. His friend Arago, the secretary of the
Académie des sciences The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at the ...
helped him obtain professorship at the Collège de France in 1833, succeeding the great mathematician Legendre. And in 1834, he was elected as assistant professor of calculus of probabilities at the
Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...
. He was also elected to the Academy and given the
Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
. Although his friendship with Arago helped him obtain some of these prestigious posts, eventually their relationship went sour and by 1835 they had become bitter enemies. Since Arago was a powerful figure in French mathematics at the time, many others in the mathematical establishment also became Libri's enemies, including
Liouville Joseph Liouville (; ; 24 March 1809 – 8 September 1882) was a French mathematician and engineer. Life and work He was born in Saint-Omer in France on 24 March 1809. His parents were Claude-Joseph Liouville (an army officer) and Thérèse ...
; the two would attack each other at every opportunity in meetings of the Academy. Between 1838 and 1841 Count Libri wrote and published a four volume "History of the Mathematical Sciences in Italy from the Renaissance of literature to the 17th Century". His original research was partially based on some 1800 manuscripts and books by
Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...
,
Fermat Pierre de Fermat (; between 31 October and 6 December 1607 – 12 January 1665) was a French mathematician who is given credit for early developments that led to infinitesimal calculus, including his technique of adequality. In particular, he is ...
, Descartes,
Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of ma ...
, and other luminaries which he claimed to have collected throughout his career; in fact, some of these, as it turned out, had been stolen in
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
from the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana. In 1841, Libri obtained an appointment as Chief Inspector of French Libraries through his friendship with influential French Chief of Police
François Guizot François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (; 4 October 1787 – 12 September 1874) was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848. A conservative liberal who opposed the a ...
. This job, involving in part the cataloguing of valuable books and precious manuscripts allowed Count Libri to indulge his collecting passion by stealing them. Although suspected, he was not investigated or charged. Abusing his privileges and pretending poor health (coughing, dressed in a big cape in all weathers), he managed to spend time alone in the archives of libraries across the country. There he 'borrowed' items which were never returned. In 1842, he stole the
Ashburnham Pentateuch The Ashburnham Pentateuch (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, MS nouv. acq. lat. 2334, also known as the Tours Pentateuch and the Codex Turonensis) is a late 6th- or early 7th-century Latin illuminated manuscript of the Pentateuch (the first ...
at the Library of
Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...
. Thanks to the blind confidence of the canon Hyacinthe Olivier-Vitalis, he seized at the Inguimbertine library of
Carpentras Carpentras (, formerly ; Provençal Occitan: ''Carpentràs'' in classical norm or ''Carpentras'' in Mistralian norm; la, Carpentoracte) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. ...
numerous documents such as the " Works of Théocrite and Hésiode " (Venice, Alde, 1495) or 72 of 75 letters of Descartes to Father Mersenne (between 1837 and 1847). He did not, occasionally, hesitate to mutilate certain manuscripts: five volumes of the Peiresc fund and at least two thousand leaves so disappeared. In 1848, as France was involved in a liberal revolution and the government fell, a warrant was issued for Libri's arrest.


In England

However he received a tip-off and fled to London, shipping 18 large trunks of books and manuscripts, about 30,000 items, before doing so. In London, he was assisted by
Antonio Panizzi Sir Antonio Genesio Maria Panizzi (16 September 1797 – 8 April 1879), better known as Anthony Panizzi, was a naturalised British citizen of Italian birth, and an Italian patriot. He was a librarian, becoming the Principal Librarian (i.e. head ...
, the Director of the
British Museum Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
, and was able to convince many that his problems in France had arisen because he was an Italian, not because the allegations against him had any substance. On 22 June 1850 he was, however, found guilty of theft by a French Court and sentenced ''in absentia'' to 10 years imprisonment. His friend, the
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
and writer
Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, and one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, and a ...
(1803–1870), argued in his favor and was prosecuted for this. Mérimée, the author among other stories and plays of "Carmen", had been convinced of Libri's innocence when the Count had told him that the missing French books and manuscripts must have been forgeries since the ones he had were the originals. Although Libri had arrived in England with nothing but his books and manuscripts, he led a good life and acted the part of society lion. His money came from selling his books. Two large sales held in 1861 reputedly netted him over a million francs; this at a time when the average daily wage for a workman was about four francs.


Return to Italy, death and aftermath

In 1868, when his health started to deteriorate, Libri returned to Florence and died in
Fiesole Fiesole () is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a scenic height above Florence, 5 km (3 miles) northeast of that city. It has structures dating to Etruscan and Roman times. Sin ...
, Italy on 28 September 1869.


Fate of the stolen manuscripts

Some 2,000 manuscripts which Libri had stolen in Italy and sold in London to
Bertram Ashburnham, 4th Earl of Ashburnham Bertram Ashburnham, 4th Earl of Ashburnham (23 November 1797 – 22 June 1878) was a British peer. He was the fourth son of George Ashburnham, 3rd Earl of Ashburnham. As the eldest son still living when his father died in 1830, he succeeded as ...
were repurchased by the Italian Government in 1884 and are back in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana. In 1888, the 5th Earl of Ashburnham sold a part of the documents stolen in France to the
French national library French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
including the
Ashburnham Pentateuch The Ashburnham Pentateuch (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, MS nouv. acq. lat. 2334, also known as the Tours Pentateuch and the Codex Turonensis) is a late 6th- or early 7th-century Latin illuminated manuscript of the Pentateuch (the first ...
. In June 2010, one of the stolen items, a letter from Descartes to Father Marin Mersenne, dated 27 May 1641— concerning the publication of “
Meditations on First Philosophy ''Meditations on First Philosophy, in which the existence of God and the immortality of the soul are demonstrated'' ( la, Meditationes de Prima Philosophia, in qua Dei existentia et animæ immortalitas demonstratur) is a philosophical treatise ...
”, was discovered in the library of
Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...
. The college returned the letter to the
Institut de France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...
on 8 June 2010.« Une lettre inconnue de Descartes retrouvée »
Institut de France, février 2010, 4 pp. Canal Académi

ttp://www.canalacademie.com/emissions/foc596.mp3 « Retransmission de la cérémonie du 8 juin 2010 »
NY Times article
/ref> The letter had been donated by the widow of a college alumnus in 1902, and was discovered only after a philosopher from
Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...
in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
read about it on the Internet, and contacted the college to tell them what they had in their library; the existence of the letter had been known to philosophers, but not its contents. The letter was written by Descartes to Father Marin Mersenne who had been overseeing the publication of Descartes's ''Meditations on First Philosophy''.


References


Bibliography

* Andrea Del Centina, Alessandra Fiocca,'' Guglielmo Libri, matematico e storico della matematica. L'irresitibile ascesa dall Ateneo pisano all Institut de France'' (Firenze, Olschki, 2010). * P. Allessandra Maccioni Ruju, Marco Mostert, "The Life and Times of Guglielmo Libri (1802-1869). Scientist, patriot, scholar, journalist and thief. A nineteenth-century story". Verloren Publishers, 1995 ().


External links


Count Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja
at the School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland. {{DEFAULTSORT:Libri Carucci Dalla Sommaja, Guglielmo 1803 births 1869 deaths Nobility from Florence 19th-century Italian mathematicians People convicted of book theft Members of the French Academy of Sciences Italian thieves Scientists from Florence