Flashy British book dealer takes limo to face charge of stealing first edition of Shakespeare
By APWednesday, June 16, 2010
Flashy book dealer in limo for Shakespeare trial
LONDON — A flashy British book dealer accused of stealing a rare first edition of Shakespeare’s plays appeared for trial Wednesday in a silver limousine, sporting a Panama hat and flashing victory signs at reporters.
Raymond Scott was accused of stealing the 1623 folio from England’s Durham University in 1998. The 53-year-old was arrested after a man took the volume to the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, claiming he found it in Cuba and asking for verification that it was genuine.
Experts at the library suspected the book was stolen and called in police.
Scholars consider the folio one of the most important printed works in the English language.
Scott was also charged with theft and handling stolen goods in cases unrelated to the folio. He denied all the charges.
He arrived Wednesday at northeastern England’s Newcastle Crown Court in a silver Chrysler 300.
For an earlier court appearance, he wore a kilt and came in a horse-drawn carriage led by a Scots piper.
