NAfter more than 70 years of borrowing, a book finally entered its original home library. The Pennsylvania News Agency reported on Wednesday that a library in Dunfermline, Scotland, received author Rupert Hughes’ adventure novel Stately Timber last week. In fact, the book should be returned on November 6, 1948. “Just for fun, we figured out the late fee and we ended up with a staggering £2,847,” said Donna Dewar, a library assistant. This is equivalent to more than 3380 Euros. The library waived all unpaid fees during the pandemic to encourage people to bring back expired books.
The daughter of the original borrower returned the book. She wrote in an accompanying letter that she was fascinated by the time and frequency of borrowing the book. The Second World War ended between two stamps in the library. “Life just continues between major historical events,” she wrote.
The United Kingdom even maintains the world’s longest overdue book record: a book from the Cambridge University Library was loaned to the Guinness Book of World Records in 1668 and returned 288 years later.
