In a significant development for art and literature enthusiasts, the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., has announced the return of 17 rare books to the heirs of John Hay and Betsey Cushing Whitney. These remarkable volumes, stolen from the couple's Long Island residence during the 1980s, feature works by literary giants such as John Keats, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, and the Brothers Grimm.
John Whitney, who passed away in 1982, was not only a prominent publisher of the New York Herald Tribune but also served as the president of the Museum of Modern Art and as an Ambassador to the United Kingdom. His wife, Betsey Whitney, who died in 1998, was instrumental in founding the Greentree Foundation in 1983.
The Whitneys were celebrated art collectors, amassing a collection that included significant pieces from 19th- and 20th-century European and American artists. Following John's death, a considerable portion of their collection was generously donated to esteemed institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Yale University Art Gallery.
John Whitney inherited a vast library of rare books from his mother, the poet Helen Hay Whitney. Between 1982 and 1989, at least 28 of these volumes were reported stolen from the Whitney estate, with the family becoming aware of the theft in 1989.
In 2015, an attempt was made to sell 17 of these stolen works to two book dealers in Manhattan. Recognizing the books from the Art Loss Register, the dealers promptly alerted law enforcement. This led to the execution of search warrants in 2025 and 2026, resulting in the recovery of the 17 books.
Among the recovered treasures is a copy of Household Stories of Grimm (1882) featuring 12 original illustrations by Walter Crane, valued at approximately $10,000. Additionally, a signed edition of Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce is valued at $6,000, while a collection of 37 love letters penned by John Keats to Fanny Brawne, with eight original letters bound together, is estimated to be worth an astonishing $2 million.
The total value of the recovered books is nearly $3 million. The Manhattan District Attorney's Antiquities Trafficking Unit is currently investigating the whereabouts of the remaining 11 volumes, highlighting a commitment to preserving cultural heritage and restoring lost literary treasures.
