A long-overdue history book has finally been returned to the California library from which it was on loan, almost a century late.
The book, Benson Lossing’s A History of the United States, was published in 1881 and belonged to the St. Helena Public Library in Napa Valley.
A note inside the book, which was published in 1892, reads: ‘This book may be kept for two weeks.’
It was due back on February 21, 1927 making it more than 96 years overdue.
A long-overdue history book has finally been returned to the California library from which it was on loan, almost a century late
A book was returned to the library it was borrowed from nearly 100 years ago
The book was due back on February 21, 1927 making it more than 96 years overdue
Benson Lossing’s ‘A History of the United States’ was returned to the St Helena Public Library in California, 96 years after it was due back in February 1927
Previously, overdue fines for for the book were charged at 5 cents a day meaning the present day borrower, Jim Perry, would have owed around $1,756.
Luckily for him, the library decided to eliminate late fines in 2019.
Perry found the book while doing some spring cleaning. It was hidden in a box that belonged to his late wife, Sandra, according to the St Helena Star.
The book has been with the family for five generations and he believes his wife’s grandfather, John McCormick, a descendant of one of St. Helena’s oldest pioneer families, originally borrowed the book but forgot to return it.
Following McCormick’s death in 1963, the book was handed down to his younger daughter, Babe Learned.
The book is now being treated as rare artifact and placed in a glass display case for all to see
The book was supposed to be returned on February 21, 1927 and was from the Free Library
Jim Perry stumbled upon the book while going through a collection of books that had belonged to his late wife, Sandra Learned Perry
When Babe Learned died in 2011, her daughter Sandra Learned Perry inherited the book.
JIm’s wife, Sandra, passed away in 2015, leaving the library book among a box of books that her husband recently started going through.
At first, Perry returned the book without leaving his name but upon receiving the title back into its collection the library asked for more information about where the book had been for the better part of the past 100 years.
Perry then contacted the library after seeing a report about the item on the news.
‘I didn’t know how special it was,’ Perry admitted.
‘One of my staff members came up and said “Oh somebody had returned that book,”‘ library director Chris Kreiden told KOVR.
‘They thought it was really cool. We didn’t realize quite how old it was — it was falling apart. I’m afraid to touch it.
‘All of us are just, you know, wondering where the book could have been for so long, you know, from being checked out in 1927,’ Kreiden said. ‘To have it be from this library from that far back is really incredible.
‘I mean we’ve had things checked out for two or three years, maybe five, but never anything quite this long,’ he went on.
Staff at the library believe the book may have been among 540 volumes available at the Free Public Library, the predecessor of the St. Helena Public Library.
The book is now being treated as rare artifact and placed in a glass display case for all to see.
‘It’s never too late to return your library book,’ Kreiden joked.
The library is now showing off the book together with news articles about the rare find
Staff at the library believe the book may have been was among 540 volumes available at the Free Public Library, the predecessor of the St. Helena Public Library, pictured above
The Guinness World Record for the most overdue library book is held by a German history book owned by Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
Colonel Robert Walpole, the father of Sir Robert Walpole, who is considered the first prime minister of Great Britain, borrowed the book in 1667 or 1668.
It was discovered by Prof. John Plumb during his research on Walpole’s biography and returned to Sidney Sussex on January 16, 1956, a staggering 287 years overdue.
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