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Brooke Walker ReportingRare copies of the Book of Mormon vanish. Is this new theft or could it be connected to other recent robberies?
The books were taken from the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers museum. Among them were two first edition copies of the Book of Mormon, valued at more than twenty thousand dollars apiece. Employees at the Museum are very upset, not only at the lost value, but the lost history.
This is the third time in the last six months that rare copies of the Book of Mormon have been stolen in Salt Lake. That's something experts do not think is coincidence.
This most recent theft happened Tuesday. Police say, just before midnight, someone cut through a fenced-in window and shattered the glass. They then broke into a secure case located in the history department of the museum. Inside were 14 rare LDS texts, including two first edition copies of the Book of Mormon.
One is actually an 1851 Italian translation with a personal inscription by former LDS president Lorenzo Snow. That, combined with the rarity of the publication, makes these books very valuable.
Edith Menna, Museum Director: "They knew exactly what they were coming into, they knew exactly what case to go to. They knew what books they were taking."
The museum holds hundreds of Mormon and pioneer artifacts. All security is handled through the State Capitol. There is an alarm system, but apparently that one window was not wired. The system is currently being updated and a security guard will now be on 24-hour duty inside the museum.
When books like this are stolen, they are immediately listed on a national website, and national dealers who work with specialty LDS products are placed on alert.
Ken Sanders served for six years as a security expert for the Booksellers' Association of America. He says nine times out of ten, the books are immediately resold.
Ken Sanders, Owner of Ken Sanders Rare Books: "Most of these books are unique enough and well enough described that if they are offered, someone is going to know they are the stolen books. And we're hopeful that will lead to their recovery."
The museum keeps detailed records that identify any markings or unique inscriptions. They hope that will also help police track down the missing books.
Police are still trying to recover missing books previously stolen from the University of Utah Institute Building and also the Beehive House.
