A Napa Valley resident returned an overdue book at a California library after nearly 100 years since the borrower checked it out.
The book 'A History of the United States' was due at the St. Helene Public Library in Napa Valle in 1927, totaling 96 years.
California Library Book Returned After Roughly 100 Years
According to a report by USA Today, the overdue book, 'A History of the United States,' written by Benson Lossing, was published way back in 1892, the director of the Northern California library, Chris Kreiden, disclosed.
The library director says Jim Perry, who resides in Napa Valley, returned the book last month, 96 years after it was due. At first, Kreiden admits that the library staffers did not realize how old the book was. They initially find it cool that "somebody had returned that book."
Kreiden says the more than 100-year-old book is no longer in pristine condition. First off, its spine is nowhere to be found.
Despite that, Sky News reports that the original note of the library was still in the century-old book. It reads: "This book may be kept for two weeks," but as mentioned, it took 96 years to return. The notice also warned that any damage or loss comes with a fine.
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How Much Was the Fine?
The director shares that the overdue book, which spent nearly 100 years away from the St. Helena Public Library, was one of the first titles available to the community. Back then, the library was still a subscription service, requiring readers to pay a monthly fee to borrow a book. During that time, checking out book costs 25 cents per month.
However, readers have to return their books diligently upon their due date. Please do so to save them some money since overdue returns are slapped with a fine.
In this case, the book is overdue for nearly a century or 100 years. So the bill ballooned to staggering amounts. The library director disclosed that the fee costs around $1,700. But despite that, ABC News reports the St. Helena Public Library has ceased charging overdue fines since 2019. So Perry no longer has to pay the estimated fine.
The recently returned book is now back in the community library. However, due to its age, the 1892 published title sits in a glass-covered display case in the Northern California library, the director shares. And as such, visiting St. Helene Public Library should let you see it in person.
