Man Returns Library Book Borrowed 96 Years Ago, Avoids Late Fee of Over $1,700

A man returned a book his family borrowed from a library in 1927, nearly 100 years ago. A delay that could have cost him 1,700 dollars.

Better late than never. A few days ago, Jim Perry deposited at the library of St. Helena, in California (United States), a book which he had found while cleaning his house in Napa, not far from there. But this book is not just any, since it had been borrowed in 1927. Jim handed over the book and then quickly left, without leaving his name or contact details, according to The Washington Post.

A FAMILY HISTORY

For more than three decades, Perry had lived with his wife, Sandra, in St. Helena, where his family had resided since the 1840s. After his wife died in 2015, he decided to move to Napa, not far south. . He took with him boxes of old books that had been passed down through the family.

He noticed that the history book once belonged to the library and decided to return it. It was borrowed 96 years ago, when his wife’s grandfather, John McCormick, may have wanted to start teaching American history to his two young daughters, Perry said.

“For five generations this book has been in our family,” Perry recalled saying at the front desk of the St. Helena Public Library.

A 96-YEAR DELAY

“It’s the oldest I’ve ever seen, without a doubt,” said Chris Kreiden, the library manager. On the last page, there was a faded black stamp indicating the deadline for the return of the book: February 21, 1927. An envelope on the back cover indicated that the book could be kept for two weeks. Lateness was charged five cents a day.

The book also had two accession numbers, which were used to identify books in the library at the time of its founding. These numbers mean the book was part of the library’s original collection, when it offered a free reading room but charged 25 cents a month to those who wanted to borrow books.

A “GOOD STORY”

After finding the book on his desk, Kreiden asked his staff who returned it, but the man left no contact information. She then contacted the press, thinking it would be a good story, says The Washington Post. She was right, the story was picked up by local TV stations and then media outlets across the country covered it.

Perry saw the news and noticed that the media was reporting that if the St. Helena Public Library was still charging late fees, the borrower would have had to pay over $1,700. He contacted Kreiden and she explained to him the importance of the book.

Since then, the book has been on display in a glass case near the library entrance, alongside photographs from the reading room. It is open to the last page, showing the stamp showing the date of return.