Woman Returns Late Stepfather's Overdue Library Book After Nearly 90 Years — and Only Gets $5 Late Fee
“That copy’s going to stay out of circulation,” Larchmont librarian Caroline Cunningham said
Larchmont Public Library
The book was returned nearly 90 years after it was borrowed.A book that was nearly 90 years overdue has been returned to a library in suburban New York state.
The book Youth and Two Other Stories by Joseph Conrad was checked out to a Larchmont man in 1933. The man’s stepdaughter recently mailed the book back to the library after finding it in his belongings in Virginia, the Larchmont Public Library said in a Facebook post.
“Now, I know what you are all thinking,” the library wrote in a post. “I wonder how much that would be in overdue fees? At twenty cents a day, it seems like the fine could easily have reached over $6,400.”
The library added, “But no, the real answer is only $5!”
Related: Overdue Library Book Checked Out in 1927 Returned by Mystery Man After Almost 100 Years
Since the book was eventually returned, the overdue fine has been reverted back to a maximum of $5, library officials said.
After Morgan found the book, she contacted the library to confirm whether it was overdue, according to Patch.com. She also wrote a letter to the library, explaining its backstory.
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"My stepfather, Jimmie Ellis (James H.S. Ellis, Jr. 1893 - 1978), was an advertising executive, working in New York City and living in Larchmont at the time he and his first wife were raising their two sons," Morgan wrote, according to Patch.com. "Their house was about two blocks from Larchmont Public Library.”
She continued, “And since Jimmie, a writer and avid reader himself, no doubt encouraged his boys to read, they most likely borrowed books from Larchmont Public on a regular basis."
Conrad’s book was published in 1925, one year before the library opened, per Patch. It was originally due back at the library on Oct. 11, 1933, the Larchmont Public Library said.
Related: Book Returned to Pa. Library 50 Years Late With $20 & Funny Note on Family's 'Running Joke'
Librarian Caroline Cunningham told The New York Post that getting the book back was “quite a surprise.”
But, she added, patrons shouldn't expect to encounter it on the shelves anytime soon.
“That copy’s going to stay out of circulation,” Cunningham told the Post. “And will probably have it just to keep because it’s a funny story.”
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