Editing National Library of Sweden (section)

==History==
The roots of what we now know as the National Library go back to the days of King [[Gustav Vasa]] in the 16th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.kb.se/in-english/about-us/history.html |access-date=2022-03-27 |website=Kungliga biblioteket |language=en}}</ref> The king collected books on a variety of subjects including history, science, and theology, as well as maps. The collections were expanded by [[Eric XIV]], [[Johan III]], and [[Charles IX of Sweden|Charles IX]] and kept in the palace known as [[Tre Kronor (castle)|Tre Kronor]] (The Three Crowns). Some books were purchased abroad, while others were confiscated from Swedish monasteries dissolved in the [[Protestant Reformation]]. King [[Gustavus Adolphus]] gave away parts of the royal book collection in 1620: those books were the foundation of the [[Uppsala University]] Library.

The collection was also expanded through booty taken during the [[Thirty Years’ War]]. These captured treasures included the episcopal library of [[Würzburg]] in 1631, the [[Palacký University of Olomouc#University Library|University of Olomouc]] library in 1642, and the royal library of [[Prague]] in 1649. It was in this connection that the 13th-century [http://www.kb.se/codex-gigas/eng/ “Devil's Bible”] (the [[Codex Gigas]]) came to Stockholm.<ref>{{cite web |title=Devil's Bible. Codex Gigas |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667604 |website=Library of Congress}}</ref> [[Christina of Sweden|Queen Christina]] took much of this material with her to Rome after she abdicated the Swedish throne, but the royal collections continued to grow during the reign of [[Charles X Gustav]] through additional spoils of war and purchases abroad. The manuscript collection also includes the Anglo-Saxon [[Stockholm Codex Aureus]].

Under the Chancery Decree of 1661, all book printers in Sweden were required by law to submit two copies of everything they printed – one copy for the National Archives and the other for the National Library. Rather than to acquire newly published literature for research purposes, the decree reflected the desire of a great power to exert state control and censorship.

Much of the library went up in flames during the [[Tre Kronor (castle)|Tre Kronor Palace]] fire of 1697 when 17,286 bound volumes and 1,103 manuscripts were lost. Only 6,700 volumes and 283 manuscripts survived. Thereafter, the books were stored temporarily in various noble palaces in [[Stockholm]], first in Count Lillie's house on what was then Norrmalm Square (1697–1702), and later in the [[Bonde Palace]] (1702–1730), and Count Per Brahe's house on [[Helgeandsholmen]] (1730–1768). Finally, in 1768, the collections could be moved into the northeast wing of the new royal palace.

The collection grew further in its new home when the Antiquities Archive was dissolved in 1780 and most of the books kept there were transferred to the National Library. In 1792, [[Gustav III of Sweden|Gustav III]] donated his private library of 14,500 works and four years later, [[Gustav IV Adolf]] donated 7,500 works. As a result, the National Library owned about 40,000 works by 1814.

Several large book collections, either donated or purchased, came to the National Library in the 19th century. Space was limited in the palace and a new home for the collections was required. In 1877, the National Library moved into new, dedicated premises in [[Humlegården]]. The library began installing electric lighting in 1887, but the library was not fully electrified until 1964.

=== Book thefts ===
In 2004, it was discovered that dozens of rare books from its collection had been stolen.<ref name="nyt">{{cite web|last1=Cohen|first1=Patricia|title=National Library of Sweden to Recover Stolen Books|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/23/national-library-of-sweden-to-recover-stolen-books/|work=New York Times|access-date=18 August 2016|date=23 July 2013}}</ref> The subsequent investigation revealed that the thief was [[Anders Burius]], a senior librarian working at the National Library. At least 62 books were stolen<ref name="nyt" /><ref name="fbi">{{cite web|title=United States Returns Stolen Antique Books to the National Library of Sweden|url=https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/newyork/news/press-releases/united-states-returns-stolen-antique-books-to-the-national-library-of-sweden|website=Federal Bureau of Investigation|access-date=19 August 2016|language=en-us|date=17 June 2015}}</ref> and then auctioned off at a German auction house. The police investigation was closed in 2006 and reopened in 2014 upon appeal. The investigation closed after a year and a half with no books repatriated.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bergvall |first=Greger |date=2016 |title="Cold case" – The story of inside thefts at the National library of Sweden |url=http://library.ifla.org/id/eprint/1350/ |website=IFLA Library}}</ref>

In 2011, the first book was returned to the library-an atlas by [[Cornelius Wytfliet]]. It had been bought by a map dealer in New York from a Sotheby's auction in 2003. Its value was estimated at $450,000.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cohen |first=Patricia |date=2012-06-27 |title=Swedes Find Stolen Atlas in New York |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/27/books/swedish-royal-library-recovers-stolen-1597-atlas-in-new-york.html |access-date=2022-03-27 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 2015, some books were repatriated to Sweden by the [[United States Attorney|U.S. Attorney's Office]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cascone |first=Sarah |date=2015-06-17 |title=US Returns to Sweden Millions in Antique Books Stolen by Suicidal Librarian |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/stolen-books-return-to-sweden-309156 |access-date=2022-03-27 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2021, ten books were returned. As of 2021, 17 out of 62 stolen books have been returned.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Benne |first=Susan |date=25 October 2021 |title=Ten Stolen Books Returned to the National Library of Sweden, More Still Missing |url=https://www.abaa.org/blog/post/ten-stolen-books-returned-to-the-national-library-of-sweden-more-still-miss |access-date=2022-03-27 |website=The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America |language=en}}</ref> The library maintains a list of the missing books.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stolen books |url=https://www.kb.se/in-english/about-us/stolen-books.html |access-date=2022-03-27 |website=Kungliga biblioteket |language=en}}</ref>