The eccentric son of a wealthy Minnesota family, Stephen Blumberg, developed an obsession with rare books and stole 40 million dollars worth of them.

Targeting the most valuable collections in libraries all over America, he dazzled investigators with a large array of techniques, spiriting away 30,000 volumes over 20 years.

Blumberg’s goal was to build the largest private collection of rare books in the country and he very nearly succeeded.