The proprietors of B&B Rare Books in New York City sensed something was wrong when a young man approached them last year with a collection of ancient literature for sale. Among the items was a book containing 37 love letters, including handwritten notes, penned by English poet John Keats to his fiancée, Fanny Brawne.
The seller claimed the letters had been in his family for generations and originally belonged to his grandfather but failed to provide any evidence to support his claim. Co-owner Joshua Mann expressed suspicion about the situation, leading to an investigation that confirmed the books, worth approximately $3 million US ($4.1 million Cdn), had been stolen from a private collection in the 1980s. The books have since been returned to their rightful owner.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg emphasized the importance of preventing illicit trafficking of art and antiquities in the city. Keats, a renowned poet of the Romantic era, considered Brawne his true love and inspiration. Their plans for marriage were tragically cut short when Keats succumbed to tuberculosis in Rome at the age of 25 in 1821.
Following Brawne’s death in 1865, her children auctioned off the letters in 1885. The collection eventually found its way into the possession of John Hay Whitney, a prominent figure in journalism and diplomacy, who had numerous valuable items stolen from his estate between 1982 and 1989.
In 2025, attempts were made to sell 17 of the stolen books to B&B Rare Books and Adam Weinberger Rare Books in Manhattan, prompting Mann and his partner to act swiftly to verify the origins of the items. Subsequent investigations led to the recovery of the stolen books and their return to Whitney’s grandson, Peter di Bonaventura.
The remaining missing books are subject to an ongoing investigation, with the perpetrator who attempted to sell them remaining unidentified and uncharged due to being born after the theft occurred. Whitney’s family intends to auction the collection, which includes works by notable authors like Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, and the Brothers Grimm, with proceeds earmarked for charitable causes.
The value of the Keats letters alone is estimated at $2 million US ($2.7 million Cdn). Despite the financial worth, Mann expressed mixed feelings about the letters going up for auction again, highlighting the interest from public institutions and special collection libraries in acquiring them. Scholars like John Savarese underscore the immense historical and sentimental value of the letters, emphasizing the significance of their rediscovery.