biblioklept
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From biblio- (“book”) + Ancient Greek κλέπτης (kléptēs, “thief”).
Noun[edit]
biblioklept (plural biblioklepts)
- (rare) A person who steals books.
- 1880 October 23, “The Book-Stealer”, in Saturday Review, volume 50, number 1304, London: John W. Parker and Son, page 510:
- Thus Libri, who was the greatest of Biblioklepts, rescued many of the books he stole from dirt and misuse, and had them bound royally in purple and scarlet.
- 1944, Douglas Rigby, Elizabeth Rigby, Lock, Stock and Barrel: The Story of Collecting, Philadelphia, P.A. [and others]: J. B. Lippincott Company, page 177:
- He loved to walk through his library, stopping before this or that special item; and, because there were biblioklepts even among the humanists in the papal employ, he kept the most precious manuscripts for greater safety in his own bedroom.
- 1999, Julie Wallin Kaewert, Untitled: A Booklover's Mystery:, New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, →ISBN, page 28:
- If the book's authentic, it's a national treasure! A historic find! I shouldn't wonder you'd feel a bit uncomfortable having it in your library at home in the Orchard. It's worth an absolute fortune. Every biblioklept in Britain will be bashing in the panes of your French doors.
- 2013 June 28, Carolyn Kellogg, “Throwing the book at 'Thieves of Book Row'”, in Los Angeles Times[1], archived from the original on 2022-06-29:
- That thief was Samuel Raynor Dupree, a novice accompanied by more experienced biblioklepts he knew only as Paul and Swede.
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
a person who steals books
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References[edit]
- “biblioklept”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “biblioklept, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
