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Re: archives mystery needed



Please forgive a humble lurker who wished to add a little to the discussion.

There is a series of books about an archivist named Ben Reese, written by Sally Wright. The time period is the early 1960's. The first book is set in a small liberal arts college just outside of Columbus, Ohio, and the two that follow are set in Scotland. The books are not without their faults, and they are unabashedly conservative (read "Republican"), so they are not for everyone. For those interested, the titles are Publish and Perish, Pride and Predator, and Pursuit and Persuasion.

As for a mystery idea, our college (located just outside of Columbus, Ohio) was presented with a copy of the Codex Sinaiticus, a binding of the New Testament made for the Czar of Russia. (One of our professors somehow persuaded the Russian Government, or the Czar himself, some records say, to give a copy to our college library.) That was in 1862. In 1869, when our main building was destroyed by fire, the book was also destroyed. Was it burned to cover up a theft, perhaps? Highly unlikely, but it makes for an interesting idea.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to lurking now.

Yours, etc.,

Stephen D. Grinch
Archivist
Otterbein College
Courtright Memorial Library
Westerville, Ohio 43081
(614) 823 - 1761
E-mail SGrinch@Otterbein.edu