Rare stolen Swedish atlas recovered at NYC gallery

Rare stolen Swedish atlas recovered at NYC gallery

NEW YORK (AP) — A rare atlas stolen a decade ago from the Royal Library of Sweden has been recovered in New York.

Swedish and U.S. authorities showed off the 415-year-old Wytfliet Atlas at a Manhattan news conference today.

It’s the first of 56 rare books stolen from the library to be located.

The books were stolen from 1995 to 2004 by a library employee who later took his life. A library lawyer says all the volumes were sold through a German auction house.

In June 2011, the Royal Library discovered that the atlas was being offered for sale by Arader Galleries. The New York map dealer helped return it.

The big book contains 19 maps, including the first printed map of California.