At an official ceremony in Sydney earlier today, the Australian government handed back the irreplaceable world map by Ptolemy that had been stolen from the Spanish National Library in Madrid.

The incunable 1482 map had been bought on the internet by a collector from Sydney who claimed to have had no idea of its provenance.

It was handed to the Spanish amabassador by cabinet leader Kevin Rudd at a ceremony at the Spanish embassy this morning that was also attended by National Library director Milagros del Corral and Spain's consul in Sydney Enrique Sardá.

Two heritage experts from the Guardia Civil's Central Operations Unit have travelled out to Australia to accompany the artefact back to Madrid "some time over the next ten days," according to a diplomatic source.

Stolen National Library document found in London
By: thinkSPAIN
Thursday, January 17, 2008

British police have managed to track down one of five documents stolen last August from the Spanish National Library in Madrid. The incunable document, which was discovered in possession of an anonymous collector from London, who is cooperating with Scotland Yard, is Page XIV of the 'Etymologiae' that was first published in 1472 by Guntherus Zainer and written by Sevilla archbishop, Isidro Santo, shortly before his death in 636 AD.

The four documents still missing are: the first page of the 'Cosmographia, sive De situ orbis', which includes a folded map of the world; Page 32 of one of the documents discovered recently in Buenos Aires; and two pages from the 'Arte de ballestería y montería', written by Alonso Martínez Espinar.

In related news, the director of the Spanish National Library, which is currently closed for the first of what will become an annual stocktaking exercise, confirmed yesterday that the world map that turned up in the hands of an Australian collector in Sydney, will return to Spain once Spanish and Australian police can agree a mutually convenient date for it to be handed over.

Stolen map featured on National Library Christmas cards
By: thinkSPAIN
Wednesday, December 19, 2007

The National Library has chosen one of the two 15th century world maps by Ptolemy whose robbery came to light last August for their Christmas cards this year.

The image used is of a map that has been tracked down by Interpol at the home of a private collector in Sydney, but which remains in Australia.

The second map was returned to the library last month along with nine of the sixteen other items stolen by 60 year old César Gómez Rivero, who is a Spanish citizen of Uruguyan origin, currently living in Argentina.

Inside the Christmas cards is printed the following quotation by Petrach 'The many books which made some wise and some mad'.

Among measures being implemented to prevent further priceless works from going missing from the library will be a full audit of the more than 25 million books included in its collection that will take place between the 14-19th January.

New library director, Milagros del Corral, has pointed out that this will be the first audit for more than twenty years, and warns that further surprises "cannot be ruled out."

Argentinian police recover stolen National Library maps
By: thinkSPAIN
Wednesday, October 17, 2007

If Milagros del Corral, who is the new director of the Spanish National Library, is to be believed, police officers in Argentina have recovered the eight 1482 mapamundis stolen from the National Library after the man responsible for stealing them, César Gómez Rivero, gave himself in yesterday.

A team of Guardia Civil investigators will travel to Argentina this Friday and they will be joined later by an expert from the National Library, who is being sent out to confirm the authenticity of the recovered documents.

However, Culture minister, César Antonio Molina has since clarified that, although Gómez Rivero has not yet handed himself in, his lawyer has announced that he intends to do so.

César Antonio Molina is a 60 year old Spanish national originally from Uruguay.

Stolen National Library maps found in Sydney
By: thinkSPAIN
Friday, October 5, 2007

The two 15th century world maps stolen from the National Library in Madrid have been found at the home of a private collector in Sydney. The collector said that he had bought the two maps at a public auction in London, but it is not known how much he paid.

In a separate development the Spanish Guardia Civil team investigating the robbery has confirmed the identity of the man who stole them. His name in César Gómez Rivero, a 60 year old man originally from Uruguay with Spanish nationality, who lives in Argentina.

The two maps were from Ptolemy's Cosmografía, which was published in 1482, and which is thought to have inspired Christopher Columbus's voyages of discovery.

During the early stages of the investigation into the disappearance of the two maps, it came to light that several pages had been torn from four books dating from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Four mutilated books found during National Library probe
By: thinkSPAIN
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

In a statement, the National Library has admitted that the theft of several pages torn from four 16th and 18th century books has been detected during the investigation into the disappearance of two incunable 15th century maps of the world from Ptolemy's 'Cosmography' that are dated 1482.

The maps, 120 other editions of which exist in some of the world's most important libraries, were taken from the Sala Cervantes, which is a restricted area only accessible to card-holding researchers. Their disappearance came to light during a routine inspection.

With respect to the missing pages, the statement explains that they were torn from books of which copies exist, not only in the National Library itself, but also in other Spanish libraries.

First thing last Monday morning, former National Library director, Rosa Regás, resigned after realising that new Culture minister, César Antonio Molina, lacked confidence in her. This followed a meeting between the two last Friday during which Mr Molina accused her of having "done nothing" during her more than three year tenure.

National Library boss resigns after losing priceless maps
By: thinkSPAIN
Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Rosa Regás submitted her resignation as director of the National Library yesterday morning following a stormy meeting with Culture minister, César Antonio Molina, last Friday during which Mr Molina accused her of having "done nothing" during her three year tenure.

"In light of this affirmation," writes the authoress in her letter of resignation which she handed in at 9am yesterday morning, "which presupposes a complete lack of confidence, I have decided to resign."

Ms Regás was appointed to the job in May 2004. Mr Molina took over from Carmen Calvo as Culture minister at the end of June this year during president Zapatero's most recent cabinet reshuffle.

The National Library hit the headlines earlier last week when two 15th century maps of the world, dated 1482, were stolen from an area only open to researchers.