Rare books by Galileo and Copernicus worth $3.67m found three years after being stolen by librarian
German authorities have recovered hundreds of stolen rare books, including some by Galileo, from a Munich auction house. (AAP) AAP
At least 500 antique books including volumes by Galileo and Copernicus have reportedly been returned to Italian libraries three years after they were stolen.
The books were seized by authorities an an auction house in Munich, Germany, news website WebAndTechs has reported.
The tomes were stolen from Girolamini Library in Naples, Italy, in 2012.
Then-library director Massimo De Caro, was convicted of having carried out the theft with several accomplices, and sentenced to seven years in prison.
The value of the recovered works is more than 2.5 million euros ($3.67m).
However, despite the worth of the recovered haul, authorities say there is still more work to do.
At least a further 1000 books have been recorded as missing from the library after De Caro's theft, and the full number is unknown.
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