The Map Thief

by Michael Blanding

  invited Smiley and Susan Slaughter to tea: Catherine Carver Dunn, letter to Susan Slaughter, June 23, 1997, LHS archives.

  library publicized the gift . . . “will be told here”: “The Lawrence H. Slaughter Collection: hundreds of rare English maps and atlases donated to the library,” New York Public Library News, Friends of the New York Public Library, February–March 1998.

  gargantuan task . . . needed to be catalogued: “Lawrence H. Slaughter Collection cataloging and conservation project,” New York Public Library Map Division, LHS archives.

  organizing the notes . . . “all to be in order”: Hudson interview; Alice Hudson, handwritten notes regarding call from Susan D. Slaughter, 2001, LHS archives; Alice Hudson, e-mail to Forbes Smiley, June 26, 2001.

  paid off a federal tax lien: Federal tax lien, January 28, 1997, $25,374.

  state tax warrant: New York State tax warrant, $6,714.70, satisfied February 19, 1997.

  scoping out real estate outside the city . . . settled on Martha’s Vineyard: Slater interview.

  perfect combination . . . New England reserve: Barbara Gamarekian, “An inside view of the Vineyard; it’s not as exclusive as you might think,” The Washington Post, July 7, 1996.

  rented the summer home . . . nicknamed the “spaceship”: Slater interview.

  signed the purchase agreement: Quitclaim Deed, Dukes County Registry of Deeds, December 8, 1997, book 716, 401.

  putting 20 percent down: Mortgage, Dukes County Registry of Deeds, December 19, 1997, Book 716, 403.

  presented . . . his list of duplicates . . . “to scholars and researchers”: Forbes Smiley, letter to Alice Hudson, November 17, 1997, LHS archives; Alice Hudson, e-mail to Bill Walker, March 6, 1998, LHS archives.

  among the first to view the maps: “For donors of $250 or more, curator’s choice, treasure trove of English maps,” LHS archives.

  several dozen donors . . . putting the collection together: Susan Slaughter Kinzie, telephone message, March 17, 1998, LHS archives.

  health problems . . . quadruple bypass surgery: Smiley and Slater interviews.

  exhibit: In Thy Map Securely Saile, New York Public Library, Annual Report, 1999; Roberta Smith, “Art review: envy, conquest, revenge: it’s all in the maps,” The New York Times, January 15, 1999; “In thy map securely saile: maps, atlases, charts, and globes from the Lawrence H. Slaughter collection,” October 24, 1998–March 20, 1999, New York Public Library, Map Division, 98-1052.

  line written by English poet Robert Herrick: Robert Herrick, “A country life, to his brother M. Tho. Herrick,” The Poetical Works of Robert Herrick, vol. 1 (London: William Pickering, 1825).

  “advice and counsel were instrumental”: “In thy map securely saile,” New York Public Library.

  Paul Statt and Scott Slater drove down . . . Smiley’s success: Scott Slater interview; Slater, journal, March 1999.

  David Cobb . . . the Harvard collection: David Cobb, interview with author.

  Cobb knew as much about . . . coffee table audience: Cobb interview; Krieger interview.

  within a few months . . . popular cartography books ever written: Cobb interview; Thomas C. Palmer Jr., “Starts & Stops,” The Boston Globe, December 27, 1999; Margy Avery, acquisitions editor, MIT Press, interview with the author.

  exhibition based on the book: Mapping Boston, The Story of Boston and the New World Told through Maps, Boston Public Library; “A vast collection tracks the progress of an ever-changing city,” The Boston Globe Magazine, October 10, 1999; Valerie A. Russo, “Charting Boston’s past: exhibits of old and new maps trace the development of the city and the region,” The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Mass.), October 23, 1999.

  most popular . . . two hundred thousand visitors: Beth Carney and Jim Sullivan, “Names & faces,” The Boston Globe, April 20, 2000.

  Smiley brought his friends: Slater, Bob von Elgg, and Scott Haas, interviews with the author.

  Apart from a thank-you by Leventhal: Krieger and Cobb, Mapping Boston, viii.

  their son, Edward Forbes Smiley IV: Slater, journal, November 1999.

  “He came in here and divided the town”: Louisa Finnemore, interview with the author.

  “Yeah, rules ‘from away’”: Ruth Nason, interview with the author.

  “thought he was better than everyone else”: Anonymous, interview with the author.

  “He had a lot of ideas”: Carol Cress, interview with the author.

  Glen Fariel: Glen Fariel, letter to Judge Janet Bond Arteron, 2005; Slater, journal, October 1997.

  Smiley purchased it . . . coincide with the annual parade: Sarah Macllroy, “Historical society launches landscaping plan in Sebec Village,” The Piscataquis Observer, May 22, 2002; “Sebec holds 5K, canoe race to call in Fourth of July,” The Piscataquis Observer, July 10, 2002.

  Smiley also purchased . . . market selling local produce: E. Forbes Smiley III, application for a permit for Shoreland Zoning, Town of Sebec, March 2002; Town of Sebec, Permit No. 2014, issued to E. Forbes Smiley III, March 26, 2002; Sarah Macllroy, “Sebec Village farmer’s market opens,” The Piscataquis Observer, August 21, 2002; Kim Martineau, “From life among the elite to charges of theft,” Hartford Courant, September 25, 2005.

  “Hey, neighbor!” . . . “beaded wine skirt”: Sebec Village Shops, www.sebecvillageshops.com (site discontinued; accessed through the Internet Archive, www.archive.org).

  Smiley opened a restaurant: Jessica Lee, “Café, post office, and farmers market coexist in a quaint country general store,” The Piscataquis Observer, August 20, 2003; Slater interview; Sebec Village Shops website.

  “He was Robin Hood”: David Mallett, interview with the author.

  $600,000 on the renovations: Lee, “Café, post office, and farmers market.”

  “sometimes he went by my house”: Anonymous, interview with the author.

  Smiley tried to convince them: Finnemore interview.

  Bill and Charlene Moriarty . . . free of charge: Martineau, “From life among the elite.”

  Moriartys purchased a home . . . rowdy boaters it would attract: Sarah Macllroy, “Land use continues to spur debate in Sebec,” The Piscataquis Observer, August 7, 2002; Smiley, Slater, Mallett, and Jayne Lello, interviews with the author.

  word “marina” in their application: William Moriarty, Application for Building Permit, Town of Sebec, April 24, 2001.

  specified “that it stays as it is”: Town of Sebec, Permit No. 2009, issued to William Moriarty, April 24, 2001.

  permit “pertains only to the use of the buildings”: Missy Small, letter to Bill and Charlene Moriarty, May 21, 2001.

  “stop work” order: William Murphy, letter to William Moriarty, June 5, 2002.

  “stick it up your ass”: Jayne Lello, interview with the author.

  “allowed to remain ‘unclear’”: Susan Dow, “A problem in Sebec,” The Eastern Gazette, July 20, 2002.

  “resorted to a more tribal approach”: David Mallett, “Sebec needs to be mindful of its community responsibilities,” The Piscataquis Observer, July 31, 2002.

  residents approved every one: “Sebec holds town meeting,” The Piscataquis Observer, August 14, 2002.

  alleged violations at Smiley’s shops: Charlene Moriarty, Request for Code Enforcement Officer Investigation Due to Citizen Complaint, Town of Sebec, October 7, 2002; Jessica Lee, “Town aims for closure on village permit confusion,” The Piscataquis Observer, October 23, 2002.

  CHAPTER 9

  number is more like forty-five: “Congratulations to these staff members celebrating 45-years of service to Yale,” Working @ Yale, http://working.yale.edu/congratulations-these-staff-members-celebrating-45-years-service-yale.

  worked with the first curator . . . “calls me his mentor”: Margit Kaye, interview with the author.

  John Seller’s 1675 “Mapp of New England”:
John Seller, “Mapp of New England,” London, 1675, Sterling Memorial Library Map Collection, 76 1675.

  dark smudge . . . shouldn’t have been missing: Kaye interview; “John Seller. A Mapp / of New England,” E. Forbes Smiley III website, www.efsmaps.com/map01.html (site discontinued; accessed through Internet Archive, www.archive.org).

  Kaye printed out the page: “John Seller. A Mapp / of New England,” E. Forbes Smiley III website, printout, July 11, 2002.

  took it to the head curator . . . keep a closer eye on Smiley: Kaye interview. (Fred Musto did not respond to interview requests.)

  Smiley was in the Sterling often: Kaye interview; Abe Parrish, interview with the author.

  Smiley sat in the reading room . . . no one gave him a second look: Smiley interview.

  thefts started in the spring of 2002: Defendant’s memorandum in aid of sentencing (20), US v. Edward Forbes Smiley III, September 18, 2006, 28.

  brought the map to his friend Harry Newman: Newman interview.

  Osher . . . bought it from him: Harold Osher and Bill Reese, interviews with the author; Smiley website; Restitution Order (29), US v. Smiley.

  stealing became easier: Smiley interview.

  Kaye began to carefully watch . . . turning over pages: Kaye interview.

  discovered four maps: “Reading Howell, A / Map / of the / State / of / Pennsylvania,” Smiley website, printout, October 22, 2002; “John Wilson, A Map / of / South Carolina,” Smiley website, printout, October 23, 2002; “Samuel Thornton, A Generall chart of the / South Sea,” Smiley website, printout, October 23, 2002; “William Darby, A / Map / of the State of Louisiana,” Smiley website, printout October 23, 2002.

  Henry Pelham map of Boston: “Henry Pelham, A Plan of Boston in New England,” Smiley website, printout February 21, 2003.

  found the image of the card: “Henry Pelham, A Plan of Boston in New England,” catalog card in microfilm.

  John Bonner map of Boston (1743): “John Bonner / William Price, A New Plan of Ye Great Town of Boston,” Smiley website; Krieger and Cobb, Mapping Boston, 45–46.

  brought the map to Harry Newman: Newman interview; Harry S. Newman, ed., The Old Print Shop Portfolio, Volume LXII, Number 1, September 2002.

  International Conference on the History of Cartography: “International Conferences on the History of Cartography,” Maphistory, http://www.maphistory.info/ichcintro.html.

  special label of beer: “The Shipyard Brewing Co debuts summer ale as promotion for international cartographic conference,” Modern Brewery Age, June 23, 2003; photo on Kris Butler’s photostream, Flickr.com, http://www.flickr.com/photos/kris_butler/1409516238/.

  “2-row British Pale Ale” . . . “seafood”: “Summer Ale,” Shipyard Brewery, www.shipyard.com/taste.

  list of complaints . . . dismissed: Code Enforcement Officer Bill Murphy, memorandum to Town of Sebec Board of Selectman, October 21, 2002.

  planning board . . . also filed a complaint: Request for Code Enforcement Officer Investigation due to Citizen Complaint by Mary Downs/Walter Emmons, Town of Sebec, November 18, 2002.

  “obligation to uphold the laws”: “Planning board members seek review of Sebec Village Shops plan,” The Piscatiquis Observer, November 27, 2002.

  “a shot across Mr. Smiley’s bow”: Edmond J. Bearor, letter to Gregory Cunningham, October 25, 2002.

  Glen Fariel resigned: Jessica Lee, “Sebec selectman resigns from post,” The Piscataquis Observer, November 20, 2002.

  denied by the remaining two selectmen . . . investigation into alleged violations: Jessica Lee, “Sebec signs pact to end marina dispute,” The Piscataquis Observer, December 4, 2002.

  “overwhelmed with all of our plans” . . . “handling local land-use issues”: Jessica Lee, “Sebec saga continues,” The Piscataquis Observer, December 18, 2002.

  filed a new appeal . . . “evidence in the record”: Complaint, E. Forbes Smiley III v. The Inhabitants of the Town of Sebec, Piscataquis County, Maine and William and Charlene Moriarty, d/b/a Sebec Village Marina Piscataquis County Superior Court, Docket No. AP-02-02, December 18, 2002; Jessica Lee, “Appeal of Sebec marina goes to superior court,” The Piscataquis Observer, January 1, 2003.

  Buzz Small and Susan Dow . . . “don’t like to lose”: Kim Martineau, “From life among the elite to charges of theft,” Hartford Courant, October 25, 2005.

  violation of exceeding the permitted amount: Jessica Lee, “Code officer finds violations at Sebec Village Shops,” The Piscataquis Observer, February 5, 2003.

  grandfathered parking on 41 percent: Gregory Cunningham, Draft Consent Agreement between E. Forbes Smiley III and the Town of Sebec, April 3, 2003; Jessica Lee, The Piscataquis Observer, April 2, 2003.

  stood over a desk . . . selectmen said: Jessica Lee, The Piscataquis Observer, April 9, 2003.

  solidly split into two camps: Kim Martineau, “Casting words: on the library crimes beat,” GSLIScast, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, February 26, 2007, http://gslis.simmons.edu/podcasts.

  Big Bear Snowmobile Club . . . discrimination: Jessica Lee, “Private status of snowmobile club irks selectman,” The Piscataquis Observer, February 5, 2003; Town of Sebec, Selectmen’s Meeting Notes, July 28, 2003.

  sign prohibiting any boater from docking: Martineau, “From life among the elite.”

  speedboats began buzzing . . . windows had been shattered: Smiley interview; Mallett and Lello interviews.

  left on his blazer: Ron Grim, “For the record,” notes from phone conversation with Steve Kelleher, July 8, 2005; handwritten notes from phone conversation with Steve Kelleher, July 8, 2005; both from Norman B. Leventhal Map Center (LMC) archives at the Boston Public Library.

  greeted the librarians warmly: Susan Glover, interview with the author.

  writing only “SMILEY MA”: LMC archives.

  checked out a copy of: Speculum Orbis Terrarum Cornelius de Jode, Speculum Orbis Terrarum, 1593, Boston Public Library, Atlas 10.4.1593; “De Jode, Cornelius,” Smiley Inventory #107, LMC archives.

  de Jode double-hemisphere map: Shirley, Mapping of the World, (184, Pl. 149); Baynton-Williams and Baynton-Williams, New Worlds, 49; Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc., “Cornelis De Jode: [World],” http://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/36263ct; Richard B. Arkway, Catalog 54: World Maps (24).

  de Jode map of North America: Burden, Mapping of North America (81, Pl. 81), 103–105; Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. “Cornelius De Jode:Americae Pars Borealis,” http://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/26258/; Richard B. Arkway, Inc., Catalog 59: Antique Maps, Manuscripts, Atlases & Illustrated Works (10).

  made at least a half-dozen trips: LMC archives.

  Samuel de Champlain: Burden, Mapping of North America (160, 161), 196–200; Schwartz and Ehrenberg, Mapping of America, 85–89; Fite and Freeman, Book of Old Maps, 120–123.

  Smiley looked at Boston’s copy: “Champlain, Samuel de,” Smiley inventory #65, LMC archives.

  neither had come up for auction: Antique Maps Price Record database search.

  When one finally did appear: Randy Boswell, “Rare early maps of Canada hit the auction block,” Canwest News Service, April 5, 2010.

  copy sold at a Bloomsbury auction: “Rare travel book & map of the day,” Graham Arader blog, June 30, 2011, http://grahamarader.blogspot.com/2011/06/map-of-day-carte-geographique-de-la.html.

  Smiley requested a ten-volume set: Theodor de Bry, Collections, 1591, Boston Public Library, G.281.51; “Bry, Theodor de,” Smiley inventory #35, LMC archives.

  Theodor de Bry: Burden, Mapping of North America (76), 96–98.

  Jacques Le Moyne: Jacques Le Moyne, “Floridae Americae Provinciae Recens,” in Theodor de Bry, Collections, Segunda Editio, vols. 6–7, part 2, 1591, Boston Public Library, G.281.51 vol. 6; Burden, Mapping of North America, (79), 101–102; Fite and Fre
eman, Old Maps, 67–70; Cohen & Taliaferro Inc. and Richard B. Arkway Inc., Catalog 62: Fine Antique Maps (25).

  John White: John White, “Americae Pars, Nunc Virginia dicta,” in Theodor de Bry, Collections, Segunda Editio, vols. 6–7, part 1, 1591, Boston Public Library, G.281.51 vol. 6; Burden, Mapping of North America, (76), 96–98; Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc., “John White / Theodore De Bry: Americae pars, nunc Virginia dicta . . . ,” https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/36230ct/; Cohen & Taliaferro Inc. and Richard B. Arkway Inc., Catalog 62: Fine Antique Maps (26).

  Richard Hakluyt: Gerald Roe Crone, “Richard Hakluyt,” Encyclopaedia Brittanica, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/252157/Richard-Hakluyt; Hoobler and Hoobler, Captain John Smith, 67–73.

  Samuel Purchas: ”Samuel Purchas,” Encylopaedia Brittanica, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/483810/Samuel-Purchas.

  Smiley requested the BPL’s copy: Samuel Purchas, Hakluyus Postumus, or Purchas His Pilgrimes, 1625, Boston Public Library, G.300.22; Ron Grim, Memorandum, “Subject: Inventory of missing items from publications used by Smiley at the Boston Public Library,” January 3, 2006, LMC archives.

  the island of California: Burden, Mapping of North America, (214) 265–66, 507–08; Tooley, Mapping of America, 110–134; Fite and Freeman, Book of Old Maps, 128–131; “The island of California: a persistent fallacy,” Mercator’s World, 1996; W. Michael Mathes, “Traditional, desirable, possible: origins of the island of California,” Mercator’s World, 1996.

  prices of up to $25,000: Antique Map Price Record database search.

  “Let me make it up to you”: Philip Burden, interview with the author.

  Smiley sold Burden . . . Le Moyne map: “Boston Public Library,” list from FBI to BPL, undated (August 2006).

  sold Arkway . . . John White . . . John Smith: “Boston Public Library,” list from FBI to BPL, undated (August 2006).

  Robert Dudley . . . sold to . . . Bob Gordon: Ron Grim, memorandum, “Unresolved issues,” November 6, 2006, LMC archives; e-mail from Ron Grim to Bernard Margolis, September 6, 2006, LMC archives; Bob Gordon, interview with the author.