- A book borrowed nearly 150 years ago was returned to Kiama Library in Australia
- The book, Antiquities of Athens, was found inside a sealed fireplace during renovations
- The late fine for the book is estimated at Rs 18.7 lakh based on 1872 library rules
A book borrowed from an Australian public library nearly 150 years ago has finally been returned. The book, "Antiquities of Athens," published in 1858, was returned to the library in the seaside town of Kiama last week by a man who found it during home renovations, tucked inside a tea chest bricked into a sealed fireplace.
According to Kiama Library manager Michelle Hudson, the late return fine for the book would amount to approximately Rs 18.7 lakh (28,000 Australian dollars), accounting for inflation. The fine was calculated based on the British three-pence-a-week overdue fee printed inside the book's cover, along with the rules in place when the library opened in 1872.
"We've never had anything that old come back to us," Hudson told The Associated Press, adding that libraries she follows on social media typically see items 30 or 40 years overdue, usually from estate clean-outs.
Though the book has now become a part of the library's history, there is no way to identify who actually owes it. The library's 1870s borrowing journal, which recorded who took out which book and when, has been lost.
"Unfortunately, we have a missing link. There's nothing in the book that tells us who the last borrower was," Hudson said.
Under the library's original rules, a borrower had to return a book and settle any debt before borrowing again. Households could borrow up to three books only if at least six members were "known to be able to read," and books were not lent to people who showed up intoxicated.
"Maybe that's why they never returned it to us," Hudson said.
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The book, water-damaged from its decades near a chimney, was no. 506 in the library's original collection of about 1,000 volumes. Hudson believes it went missing within a few years of the library's opening. It will now go on display in the library's local history collection.
"We're not going to allow it to go back out again," Hudson said. "We don't want to wait another 150 years for this book to be returned."
