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Early whole kit from some of the most famous scientists in account — including Leonardo da Vinci , Nicolaus Copernicus , Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton — were stolen in a late rare - book stickup in London , according to news reports .
Three thief made off with more than 160 antique book valued at about $ 2.5 million ( 2 million British pounds),The Guardianreported . The rarified books were steal from a warehouse , and the robbers avoid the storage adeptness ’s security system by slow golf hole into the skylight and rappelling down 40 feet ( 12 meters ) of rope into the warehouse , evading motion - sensor dismay .
" They would be impossible to betray to any reputable dealer or auction sale theater , " a source familiar with the case told The Guardian . " We ’re not talking Picassos or Rembrandts or even gold bar — these Bible would be impossible to debate . It must be for some one specializer . There must be a collector behind it . The books belong to three different dealer working at the very top of the market place , and altogether , they form a fantastic accumulation . "
Many of the steal works were from the 15th and 16th century , according to authorities . A 1566 transcript ofCopernicus'“De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium " ( " On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres , " in which the scientist describes his theory that the Dominicus is the centre of the macrocosm , and the planets revolve around the sun ) , was the most valuable token steal , worth an estimated $ 268,000 ( 215,000 pounds ) , The Guardian reported .
Other items report stolen were early work by Galileo , Newton andda Vinci , according to The Guardian . A 1569 edition of Dante ’s " Divine Comedy " was also among the books taken in the rip-off .
" Nothing like this has hit the rarified - volume patronage before , " Brian Lake , of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association , told The Guardian .
Anyone with information about the heist shouldcontact London ’s Metropolitan police .
Original clause onLive Science .
