# Are fundamentalists secretly stealing "Origin of Species" from public libraries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361 "2009-03-13T19:58:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/1 "2009-03-13T19:58:41Z")
A comment at [Portfolio.com](http://Portfolio.com) from a user read, “Another interesting library fact: Charles Darwin’s Origin of The Species regularly disappears from the shelves, generally never to return, so they are simply stolen. Other libraries report the same.” Is this true? Is there any proof or records? ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/2 "2009-03-13T20:12:35Z")
Not all inclusive, but a search on Google News for: ’ “origin of the species” +stolen +libraries’ “all dates” - yields no conclusive results. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/3 "2009-03-13T20:24:00Z")
nothing at snopes about it either. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/4 "2009-03-13T20:27:08Z")
We don’t have to repurchase that one any more often than most materials. _Mein Kampf_, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/5 "2009-03-13T20:28:10Z")
A quick search of the catalog here at work shows 26 copies on various bib records in our system, zero showing any of our various statuses that essentially mean “probably stolen.” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/6 "2009-03-13T20:32:36Z")
> [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](#): > > Not all inclusive, but a search on Google News for: ’ “origin of the species” +stolen +libraries’ “all dates” - yields no conclusive results. A nitpick, but it might affect such a search: The title of Darwin’s book is _The Origin of Species_, not _Origin of the Species_. (“The” species? _Which_ species?) ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/7 "2009-03-13T21:02:59Z")
I thought the title was ‘\*On \*The Origin of Species…’… ---
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/8 "2009-03-13T21:05:46Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > A nitpick, but it might affect such a search: The title of Darwin’s book is _The Origin of Species_, not _Origin of the Species_. It’s actually usually called “On the Origin of Species”, but its full title is “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.” ---
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/9 "2009-03-13T21:10:43Z")
I take it back: > [@](#): > > In the 6th edition of 1872 the title was changed to The Origin of Species. > **[On the Origin of Species](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origin_of_Species)** > > On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life is a work of scientific literature by Charles Darwin that is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. It was published on 24 November 1859. Darwin's book introduced the scientific theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection, although Lamarckism was also included as a mechanism of lesser importance. The V... ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/10 "2009-03-13T21:13:26Z")
Although I wouldn’t put it past scattered individuals to do this sort of thing, I just want to note that this sort of behavior has been reported about two other groups in the past – Mormons have been accused of removing anti-Mormon volumes, and Scientologists have been accused of making off with anti-Scientologist literature. I seriously doubt it’s true in the first case. I wouldn’t put it past the Scienos to try and run off with copies of “The Bare-Faced Messiah” or “A Piece of Blue Sky” – there are so few anti-Scieno pieces that get successfully published that it would be worthwhile, and they have a history of organized action. But the truth is that I’ve seen plenty of literature critical of them in the libraries. So I doubt if they really did try and swipe all their detractors. Bottom line, this is a familiar story, and it’s not likely o be true. ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/11 "2009-03-13T21:14:48Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > A nitpick, but it might affect such a search: The title of Darwin’s book is _The Origin of Species_, not _Origin of the Species_. > > (“The” species? _Which_ species?) :o Color me embarrassed - I even have a copy at home (a friend jokingly made a dustcover for it that says “Atheist Bible”) so I should know better. Revising the search brings up only articles about one or possibly two separate thefts of a first-edition copy several years ago. Doesn’t look like I need to lock mine down when the Mormons or Witnesses come knocking. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/12 "2009-03-13T22:00:02Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > We don’t have to repurchase that one any more often than most materials. _Mein Kampf_, on the other hand… I have heard the “Steal this Book” and the “Anarcists Cookbook” are impossible to keep in general circulation. I know that we could not keep them out on a shelf at the 3 bookstores I worked at. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/13 "2009-03-13T22:10:57Z")
What **Cal** said. Individual cranks, sure. But I’d like to see proof before I believe in an organized campaign. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/14 "2009-03-13T22:16:13Z")
Astrology, paganism, and occult books disappear a lot. AFAIK it’s mostly teenagers who don’t want to buy their own. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/15 "2009-03-13T22:26:22Z")
A Google search indicates it is the Guinness Book of World Records or the Bible [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=books+most+often+stolen+from+libraries&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=books+most+often+stolen+from+libraries&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/16 "2009-03-13T23:22:56Z")
I dredged up an old news article about an ALA effort to identify the most frequently stolen library books. Darwin isn’t mentioned, but other books despised by Christian fundamentalists are, including books on witchcraft, homosexuality, and abortion: [U.S. libraries checking out book theft / 'Most-stolen' list will help curb crime](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/05/15/MN191536.DTL) ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/17 "2009-03-13T23:41:45Z")
Out of the several copies we have at our library only one is listed as being billed to the patron. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/18 "2009-03-14T00:10:53Z")
A question to librarians: Would such tactics (towards any book) really result in less presence of the respective work, or rather in a lower mean age and better condition of library copies? ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/19 "2009-03-14T00:18:00Z")
I’ve definitely seen it with Wiccan books in a small conservative midwestern town where I used to live. (A high rate of stolen-ness that is - I always thought it was fundies taking away our information, but upon thinking about it now, it may have even been young Wiccans who didn’t want to get disowned by mom and dad) ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361/20 "2009-03-14T02:17:04Z")
It seems The Temptations have been trying to bring this to our attention for a while now! "Heard some talk about Papa doin’ some storefront preachin’. Talkin’ about savin’ souls, and all the time leachin’. Dealin’ in dirt! And stealing in the name of the Lord. " [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fundamentalists-secretly-stealing-origin-of-species-from-public-libraries/489361.md?page=2)