John Keats’s love letters returned to owner after being stolen in the 1980s
Summary
Eight original love letters written by poet John Keats to Fanny Brawne were returned to the family of John Hay Whitney after being stolen in the 1980s. The letters were found among rare books in Manhattan and seized by authorities before being given back to Whitney’s heirs.Key Facts
- The letters were written by John Keats between 1819 and 1820 to Fanny Brawne, his muse and fiancee.
- The 37 letters, including the first Keats wrote to Brawne, are valued at about $2 million.
- The letters were stolen from Whitney’s Long Island home sometime between 1982 and 1989.
- Whitney was a former US ambassador to the UK and a well-known art and book collector.
- The rare books, including the Keats letters, resurfaced in Manhattan in January 2025.
- Two rare book dealers reported the attempted sale of the stolen items to New York’s district attorney.
- Manhattan’s antiquities trafficking unit recovered the books and returned them to Whitney’s heirs.
- The heirs plan to sell the books and donate the proceeds, valued at nearly $3 million.
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