A book dealer who claimed he bought two missing and “extraordinarily rare” Seamus Heaney first editions worth €2,000 at a bric-a-brac stall has walked free from court.
Alan Ladak (70), of Fahy Gardens, Loughrea, Co Galway, admitted he was reckless in buying the books for about €40 each, with a view to selling them for a profit.
He pleaded not guilty at Dublin District Court to possessing stolen property last year, namely two books by the late Nobel Prize-winning poet – The Tollund Man, worth €1,250, and Shivers, valued at €750. The books previously disappeared from Kenny’s Books in Galway.
They were located after Mr Ladak later went to sell them to the Temple Bar Bookshop in Dublin between May 1st and June 30th, 2024 and on October 6th, 2024.
Granting a dismissal, Judge Adrian Harris accepted legal submissions from defence counsel Aoife Mutch, which focused on the lack of evidence presented in court, as the two books, after being returned, were re-sold before the trial.
He was also found not guilty of unlawful possession of a knife on the date of his arrest.
Garda Alan Cawley questioned Mr Ladak, originally from England, who brought Shivers to the Temple Bar Bookshop on October 6th and returned four days later to complete the sale.
Mr Ladak’s statement recorded that he was offered €200 for Shivers on October 6th. He recalled selling The Tollund Man for €250 between May and June of last year.
He maintained he bought each book for about €40 from an anonymous bric-a-brac stall in Galway city centre.
Mr Ladak denied knowing they were stolen, but he agreed he had been reckless and was not diligent in establishing where the books came from.
“I thought they were cheap at the time, and I hoped to make money,” he said during interview, adding that he hoped to receive €200 for each.
Asked why he came to Dublin to sell them, he told the garda he had free travel, it was a day out and there were more shops there.
Tomás Kenny, of Kenny’s Bookshop, recalled being contacted by Temple Bar Books about the edition of Shivers Mr Ladak brought in. He said only 125 copies were printed.
He described that edition as “extraordinarily rare”, having been signed to poet Gerard Fanning.
He said publisher Peter Fallon had autographed the other book and they had previously gone missing from his bookstore.
