It's never too late to return your library books.
A book was recently added back to the collection of a British Library, nearly 42 years after it was issued. The book had been due back on March 27, 1981.
The Northumberland Libraries shared this stunning discovery on its Facebook page and wrote, "It's never too late to return your library books...".
It said that the book was returned this week to the Alnwick Library, and librarians were stunned to discover it was nearly 42 years overdue.
According to the post, librarians hope that the story will motivate readers to return their own overdue books.
The library further mentioned that "there are no late fees or fines at any of our libraries, just a warm welcome back for you and our books, so why not have a root around at home and see if there are any rogue ones hiding away somewhere?"
"Maybe they've got muddled up with your own collections or are squirrelled away in your child's bedroom... "Wherever they are, don't be shy, just bring them back to us so more people can enjoy them."
The library invited other members to return the book even if they had been overdue for a longer period of time.
"If you find one that is even more overdue, there might just be a prize in it for you," it said.