The Beachwood Library (Cuyahoga County Public Library photo).
This may not be the most peaceful and united of times in America, no twenty-first century version of the Era of Good Feelings. Still, a recent occurrence is symbolically more chilling than most. Book burning brings back thoughts of Germany in the 1930s. Book burnings equate to the silencing of ideas, and the silencing of ideas means a loss of freedom. In better times, this event might be considered an isolated act by one insignificant individual. In a time when librarians are under fire and angry voices have been demanding the removal of some books from libraries, it starts to look like part of a concerning and dangerous trend. Freedom dies when free people fall asleep at the wheel.
On April 2, an as yet unnamed individual walked into the Beachwood Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library and took out a library card. Beachwood is a suburb of Cleveland with a substantial Jewish population. He proceeded to borrow 50 books. Evidently, they do not have very stringent borrowing limits at this library. Topics were described as Jewish history, African American history, and LGBTQ.
Apparently, this individual posted a picture of a car trunk filled with books on Gab.com. Gab is a website with few standards concerning what is posted, making it a place where neo-Nazis and others from the far right are free to post hateful messages. The Beachwood Library was notified of the picture by the Princeton University Bridging Divides Initiative. BDI describes itself as “a non-partisan research initiative that tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States.” The picture was accompanied by a message about “cleansing” the library. The books appeared to match the topics of the books that had been borrowed and some showed Cuyahoga County Library stickers on them.
On April 10, the same individual returned to the Beachwood Library and borrowed another 50 books. Some libraries do allow patrons to borrow 100 books at a time so perhaps that was Beachwood's policy. The topics were the same. The borrower told a librarian that his son was LGBTQ and he wanted to learn more about it. A police report said that a librarian found the man's behavior odd, but he was not threatening nor violating any rules.
Later, the library was again contacted by the Princeton Bridging Divides Initiative to say the person had posted another video that appeared to show him burning all 100 of the books. The police report indicated that the theme of the books was again the same and one of the books showed a CCPL sticker on it. That title matched one this individual had “borrowed.”
The books were valued at $1,700. Since none of the books was overdue at the time, there was no cause yet even to bill him. We await further developments and will post them here as they arise.
Dominic Winter Printed Books & Maps, Geology & Charles Darwin 5th November, 2025
Dominic Winter, Nov. 5: Darwin (Charles). Geological Observations on the Volcanic Islands, 1st edition, 1844. £4,000 to £6,000.
Dominic Winter, Nov. 5: Rashleigh (Philip). Specimens of British Minerals, 2 parts in 1, 1797 & 1802. £3,000 to £5,000.
Dominic Winter, Nov. 5: Murchison (Roderick Impey). The Silurian System, 1st edition, 1839. £3,000 to £5,000.
Dominic Winter Printed Books & Maps, Geology & Charles Darwin 5th November, 2025
Dominic Winter, Nov. 5: Darwin (Charles). The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs, 1st edition, 1842. £3,000 to £5,000.
Dominic Winter, Nov. 5: Darwin (Charles). Geological Observations on South America, 1st edition, 1846. £3,000 to £5,000.
Dominic Winter, Nov. 5: Sowerby (James). The Mineral Conchology of Great Britain, 6 volumes, 1812-29. £2,000 to £3,000.
Dominic Winter Printed Books & Maps, Geology & Charles Darwin 5th November, 2025
Dominic Winter, Nov. 5: Emerson (William). Cyclomathesis: or an Easy Introduction to ... Mathematics, 10 vols. in 9, 1770. £1,500 to £2,000.
Dominic Winter, Nov. 5: Robinson (Thomas). New observations on the Natural History of This World of Matter, 1696. £800 to £1,200.
Dominic Winter, Nov. 5: Aquinas (Thomas). [Summa Theologica], Secunda Parte, Venice, 1496. £700 to £1,000.
Dominic Winter Printed Books & Maps, Geology & Charles Darwin 5th November, 2025
Dominic Winter, Nov. 5: Parfit (Cliff). Tesuki Washi. Handmade Papers of Japan, 1981-1988. £400 to £600.
Dominic Winter, Nov. 5: Herbert (Thomas). A Relation of some yeares Travaile... Into Afrique and the greater Asia, 1634. £800 to £1,200.
Dominic Winter, Nov. 5: Lindbergh (Charles A.). The Spirit of St. Louis, 1955, signed. £200 to £300.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The Director's copy of the first edition of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, inscribed by Beckett. $7,000 to $10,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: Don McLean's personal test pressing of American Pie before mass production, gifted in 1971. $8,000 to $12,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The important and extensive archive of original fashion photographs of model Dorothy Rice, 1945-58. $20,000 to $30,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: A Charles Adams theater advertisement. $8,000 to $12,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: A Small Patinated Bronze Bust of Marlene Dietrich. $800 to $1,200.
Doyle, Nov. 5: Marlene Dietrich Studio Photograph. $100 to $200.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The very large and uncommon British Quad for Hitchcock's The Birds. $500 to $800.
Doyle, Nov. 5: An Original Crystal "Sputnik" from the 1966 Met Opera Chandelier. $3,000 to $5,000.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The rare poster from the first American performances of Endgame, 1958. $1,000 to $1,500.
Doyle, Nov. 5: The original Coconut Grove Playhouse poster for Waiting for Godot, possibly unique. $3,000 to $5,000.
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: William Shakespeare. The Temple Shakespeare. Housed in Custom Bookcase. $6,365.
Sotheby’s: Frederick Douglass. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Boston: Anti-Slavery Office, 1845. $14,000.
Sotheby’s: Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol. London: William Heinemann, 1915. $2,900.
Sotheby’s: F. Scott Fitzgerald. First Edition Set, Including This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, and others. Charles Scribner's Sons. 1920 – 1941. $24,180.
Sotheby’s: Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], John Tenniel. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland First Edition. Macmillan & Co., 1866. $15,000.
![<b>Dominic Winter, Nov. 5:</b> Aquinas (Thomas). <i>[Summa Theologica], Secunda Parte,</i> Venice, 1496. £700 to £1,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/b69c37e7-f18c-4417-b08b-f00e9b97a413.jpg "<b>Dominic Winter, Nov. 5:</b> Aquinas (Thomas). <i>[Summa Theologica], Secunda Parte,</i> Venice, 1496. £700 to £1,000.")
![<b>Sotheby’s:</b> Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], John Tenniel. <i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</i> First Edition. Macmillan & Co., 1866. $15,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/cc3f4f98-f195-4049-aca6-329c27fdd27c.png "<b>Sotheby’s:</b> Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], John Tenniel. <i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</i> First Edition. Macmillan & Co., 1866. $15,000.")