Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., has returned 17 rare books, collectively valued at nearly $3 million, to the heirs of John Hay and Betsey Cushing Whitney. The books were stolen from the couple's Long Island estate in the 1980s and include a bound collection of John Keats's love letters, a signed James Joyce volume, and an illustrated Brothers Grimm book. The recovery followed a tip from Manhattan book dealers in 2015, leading to search warrants executed in 2025 and 2026.
The case highlights the ongoing work of law enforcement in art and antiquities restitution, specifically the Manhattan D.A.'s Antiquities Trafficking Unit. It underscores the vulnerability of valuable cultural property held in private collections and the critical role of registries like the Art Loss Register in recovering stolen items. The investigation into the 11 missing volumes continues.