Seventeen rare books, valued at over $2 million and stolen nearly 40 years ago from the Long Island estate of former Museum of Modern Art president John Hay Whitney, have been recovered and will be formally returned to his descendants. The trove includes a first edition of James Joyce's *Finnegan's Wake*, letters from Oscar Wilde, and a portfolio of John Keats's love letters worth $2 million.
The recovery highlights the enduring role of art crime units and specialized registries in combating cultural theft. The books were identified when an individual attempted to sell them to Manhattan rare book dealers, who cross-referenced them with the Art Loss Register. The heirs plan to auction the recovered volumes and donate the proceeds, closing a chapter on a decades-old mystery while underscoring the ongoing market for and vulnerability of rare literary artifacts.