# List of returned long-overdue library books

There are many examples of books that were borrowed or loaned from a library and only returned after multiple decades or centuries. Loaned books returned decades after their due date are often found when people go through their deceased relatives’ belongings. Some libraries have foregone overdue fees to encourage use of their services, possibly leading to more of these returns taking place. Some of these cases have been listed by publications such as Reader's Digest, and multiple examples have been listed by The New York Times.
As of January 2025, the Guinness World Record for "most overdue library book" is held by a 1609 German book about the Archbishop of Bremen which was borrowed from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge by Colonel Robert Walpole in 1667–68 and found by Professor John H. Plumb 288 years later in the library of the then Marquess of Cholmondeley at Houghton Hall, Norfolk. In most of these cases, late fees for the books are wither waived, in amnesty, or already abolished by the time they are returned. However, as of January 2025 the world record for "largest library book fine paid" is held by the book Days and Deeds, which was returned after 47 years with a cheque worth $345.14.

## Australia

| Title | Author(s) | Borrowed from | Date borrowed | Date returned | Years overdue | Notes |
| Insectivorous Plants | Charles Darwin | Camden Library | 30 Jan 1889 | June 2011 | 122 | The first edition copy was in a man's private collection for around 50 years; he gave it to the University of Sydney Farms Library when he moved away, which eventually sent it back to Camden Library. Staff estimated late fees would be $35,000, though the book did not attract a fine as it was the library's fine amnesty month. The book was put on display, not to be loaned again. |
| A History of Malvern | | State Library Victoria | 21 Apr 1955 | June 2023 | 68 | Graeme Coulson found the book when clearing his mother Helen Coulson's house in Echuca after she died age 103. It is unknown whether she borrowed the book from the library, though at least four books written by her are in the library's collection and she often visited it. The fine would have been $11,929.44 with inflation. It went into the Rare Books collection as a book from before the closure of the State Library's lending library in 1971. |

## Finland

| Title | Author(s) | Borrowed from | Date borrowed | Date due | Date returned | Years overdue | Notes |
| The Refugees (Finnish version) | Arthur Conan Doyle | Helsinki City Library | 1939 | 26 Dec 1939 | 27 May 2024 | 84 | The due date was one month after the beginning of the Soviet invasion of Finland; this was possibly why the due date was missed. In good condition, it was given to Helsinki Central Library Oodi once discovered. |

## Ireland

| Title | Author(s) | Borrowed from | Date borrowed | Date due | Date returned | Years overdue | Notes |
| The White Owl | Annie M. P. Smithson | Donegal County Library, Gweedore | 23 Jul 1937 | 6 Aug 1937 | 17 May 2019 | 81 | It was a first edition of the book, thought to be very rare. After being found during a house clearance in nearby Falcarragh, it was returned to Gweedore Public Library. |
| 31st International Eucharistic Congress Pictorial Record | | Navan Library | 1932 | | 27 May 2012 | 80 | The book, published the same year as it was borrowed for 80 years, was slipped through the library's letterbox a month prior to the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. The fine was waived and it was put on display. |
| That Lady | Kate O'Brien | Clare County Council Library | | 11 Jul 1957 | Jul–Aug 2019 | 62 | It was returned to Stillorgan Library after being discovered in an attic. Late-return fees had been scrapped. |
| Down all the Days | Christy Brown | Aidan Heavey Library, Athlone | | 10 Sept 1971 | 14 Nov 2024 | 53 | The book ended up in a flat in London before it was returned. There were no fines as they had been abolished in Ireland in 2019. |

## The Netherlands

| Title | Author(s) | Borrowed from | Date due | Date returned | Years overdue | Notes |
| Terug naar Oegstgeest | Jan Wolkers | Groesbeek Community Library | 5 Mar 1981 | Sept 2020 | 39 | Overdue fees should have amounted to nearly €1,531. |

## New Zealand

| Title | Author(s) | Borrowed from | Date due | Date returned | Years overdue | Notes |
| Myths and Legends of Maoriland | A. W. Reed | Auckland Library | 17 Dec 1948 | April 2016 | 67 | An anonymous woman had checked out the book as a child and said she had been meaning to return it. She was not charged as children were not charged late fees. The book was not thought to have any monetary value. |
| The Earl of Derby | George Saintsbury | Newtown Library | | | >50 | It is unknown when the book was checked out or its due date; it was added to the library in 1902 and was likely missing "for a good 50 years". It was donated in a book sale in Northern Beaches, Australia, and was rebound by book binder Barbara Schmelzer before being sent to the library. |

## United Kingdom

| Title | Author(s) | Borrowed by | Borrowed from | Date borrowed | Date due | Date returned | Years overdue | Notes |
| German book about the Archbishop of Bremen | | Robert Walpole (colonel) | Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge | 1667–68 | | 16 Jan 1956 | 287–288 | The book was borrowed by Colonel Robert Walpole, the father of the first British prime minister. It was found by Professor John H. Plumb in the library of the then Marquess of Cholmondeley at Houghton Hall, Norfolk when he was working on a biography of Walpole. It holds the Guinness World Record for "most overdue library book." |
| The Microscope and its Revelations | William B Carpenter | Professor Arthur Boycott (student) | Hereford Cathedral School | c. 1886–1894 | | Dec 2016 | 122–130 | Boycott was a former pupil of the school between 1886 and 1894; he went on to become a distinguished naturalist and pathologist. The book was discovered by his granddaughter Alice Gillett; the school waived fines, which at 17p per day would have been £7,446. |
| Poetry of Byron | Lord Byron | Leonard Ewbank (student) | St Bees School, Cumbria | 25 Sept 1911 | | 2024 | 113 | St Bees student Ewbank later studied at The Queen's College, Oxford and was killed in the Battle of Ypres in 1916. |
| Stately Timber | Rupert Hughes | | Dunfermline Central Library | 23 Oct 1948 | 6 Nov 1948 | Nov 2021 | 73 | The book, only to be retained for 14 days, was delivered in a parcel to the library after being found by the borrower's daughter on the Black Isle. Potential fees came to £2,847, though Fife libraries had an amnesty on late fees during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| The Adventures Of Pinocchio | Carlo Collodi | | Rugby Library | | 31 Dec 1950 | Feb 2014 | 63 | It was returned during an eight-day fines amnesty. If this was not the case and the £5.22 were not in place, the fine would have been over £4,000 at 18p per day. |
| How to Lie with Statistics | Darrell Huff | | Fenham Library | | 25 Nov 1958 | | 62 | The book was posted to Newcastle Central Library with a note reading "Better late than never!!" At the contemporary rate of 15p per day, the charge may have been around £3,434, but all fines were capped at £15. In-house publishing company Tyne Bridge offered the anonymous person some books as a thank you, if they came forward. |
| Cultures and Societies of Africa | | | Cambridge University Library | | | 26 Sept 2019 | 59 | The book was returned to Gonville and Caius College by a former student. The library waived the fine. |
| The Buried Stream | Geoffrey Faber | | Middlesbrough Central Library | | 21 Dec 1962 | Oct 2020 | 58 | The poetry anthology was left in the library's returns box. The fine may have been £500 but charges have been suspended during the pandemic. |
| 2001: A Space Odyssey | Arthur C. Clarke | | Riddings Library | | 11 Oct 1969 | August 2023 | 53 | The book was dropped off at Scunthorpe Central Library, which opened five years after the book was borrowed. The person returning the book found it while clearing out a shop they had taken over, in a bag with three books of sheet music for Elizabethan love songs and blues numbers. Book fines had been scrapped across North Lincolnshire that July. |
| Indian Cookery | Mrs Balbir Singh | | Paisley Central Library | 1968 | | July 2021 | 53 | It was posted to the library anonymously with a £20 note and an apology letter. The £20 was donated to charity. Marks on the pages suggest that the reader followed the recipes. |
| The Metaphysical Poets | Jim Hunter | | Lowestoft Library | | 24 Sept 1967 | May 2019 | 52 | The borrower had taken the book while staying with their parents in the town and later found it while moving house. A note from the borrower said they were "extremely embarrassed". A £100 cheque was included to cover the fine, which went to the library. |
| Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge atlas | | | Jerwood Library, Trinity Hall, Cambridge | Early 1970s | | November 2021 | >50 | Its exact borrowing or due date was not known as there are no surviving records. It was returned after a college reunion; the fine would have been around £3,000, but the library had not charged overdue fines for three years. |
| Tomatoes for Everyone | Frank W. Allerton | | Orkney Library | | 21 Jan 1974 | 6 Oct 2023 | 49 | The manual on tomato culture had been in a box, moving from house to house before being returned in "good condition". A 1 pence per day fine would have amounted to £181.55. It was given a new plastic cover an put back out on the library's shelves. |
| Havelok The Warrior | Ian Serraillier | | Hastings Library | | 14 Apr 1975 | Feb–Mar 2023 | 48 | It was returned during a seven-week books amnesty that lasted until March 2023. |
| A Confederate General from Big Sur | Richard Brautigan | Tony Spence | Tooting Library | | 19 Feb 1974 | 2022 | 48 | The book was sent back by Spence, of Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada, who grew up in Bingley, Yorkshire. He found it in a box of magazines and said he "forgot" to put a note in when he sent it back. He was tracked down by the BBC after their appeal was seen by his wife on a Facebook group. |
| Learning With Colour Architecture: The Great Art of Building, and The Railway Series No. 22: Small Railway Engines | Trewin Copplestone, and Rev. W. Awdry | "Andy" | Basingstoke Discovery Centre | | 1972 | Sep 2020 | 48 | The two books, the latter being an early Thomas the Tank Engine book, were returned in a Royal Mail parcel. A note from "Andy" apologised for keeping the books when he moved as a child in 1972. |
| Canoe Building in Glass-Reinforced Plastic | Alan Byde | | Orkney Library | | 15 Mar 1977 | Jul 2024 | 47 | The book was found during a house clearance. |
| The Sinister Sign Post | Franklin W. Dixon | | Orkney Library | | 12 Jun 1976 | Jul 2022 | 46 | The book was found lying in an attic. |
| Tolkien's World | Randel Helms | | Central Library, Blackpool | | 13 Mar 1978 | Nov 2023 | 45 | The borrower, an unnamed woman, had worked in a nearby branch of Woolworths in the 1970s and regularly visited the library on her lunch break to borrow stacks of books. She had missed this book, and apologised for it being "a bit late". |
| Great Prime Ministers | John Whittle | | Manningtree Library | | 30 Jun 1979 | Jan 2024 | 44 | The book was brought in by relatives of its borrower. The late fee was waived. |
| The Golden Grove, or A Manual of Daily Prayers and Litanies | Jeremy Taylor | | Royal Holloway, University of London library | | Dec 1975 | Apr 2019 | 43 | The prayer book was returned alongside a letter including clues about who had borrowed it, which the library did not publish. The estimated late fine was about £6,278. |
| Edwin Muir | P. H. Butter | | Orkney Library | | 24 Oct 1973 | Jan 2017 | 43 | It was found in a house clearance, in good condition. |
| The Cherrys and the Double Arrow | William Matthew Scott | | Henleaze Library | | 5 Jan 1977 | Nov 2019 | 42 | The children's' book was left in a drop-box with a note and £10, saying it was found in the writer's parents' garage; it was "in a doubtful condition, discoloured and not that good". |
| To Sea in a Sieve | Peter Bull | | Shetland Library | | 12 Jul 1973 | 7 Aug 2020 | 37 | It was handed in to Bungay Community Library, 750 miles from where it was first borrowed. |
| Manners Make A Difference | | | St John Fisher Catholic High School, Peterborough | | 27 Feb 1989 | April 2021 | 32 | A note with the book said "Sorry! Just 32 years overdue! Call it Catholic guilt." The school's now-abolished 50p per day fine would have meant a total fine of over £800. It was put on display. |
| Bullies Don't Hurt | Anthony Masters | "M.M." | Salisbury Library | | 30 Jan 2003 | Sep 2021 | 18 | The book was sent back by post from Canada. An anonymous note read, "I deeply apologise for having stolen this book". |

## United States

| Title | Author(s) | Borrowed by | Borrowed from | Date borrowed | Date due | Date returned | Years overdue | Notes |
| The Law of Nations | Emer de Vattel | George Washington | New York Society Library | 5 Oct 1789 | 2 Nov 1789 | 20 May 2010 | 221 | Washington borrwed the book when the library was sharing a building federal government. Staff discovered the book was missing in 2010 after conducting an inventory of books in the library's 1789-1792 ledger, which had itself been missing until 1934. Overdue fines woud theoretically amount to $300,000. Staff at Washington's Mount Vernon home offered to replace the book with a copy of the same edition; this was done in a ceremony. |
| History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France | William Francis Patrick Napier | CS Gates (Union soldier) | Washington and Lee University Library | 11 Jun 1864 | | Apr 2009 | 145 | The first of four volumes was stolen by Gates in a raid by General David Hunter and his army of West Virginia. Illinois handball coach Mike Dau, a descendant of Gates, returned the book. A potential $52,858 fine was waived. |
| An Elementary Treatise on Electricity | James Clerk Maxwell | | New Bedford Free Public Library | 14 Feb 1904 or 14 Feb 1905 | | Jul 2023 | 119 | The book was donated in good condition to West Virginia University Libraries and its overdue status was discovered there. The late fee would have been $2,100, but had a maximum of $2. |
| New Chronicles of Rebecca | Kate Douglas Wiggin | | Boise Public Library | | Nov 1911 | Oct–Nov 2021 | 110 | The book was listed as missing in 1912. Though it is unknown where it was kept for over a century, the book was kept in "immaculate" condition. The library had scrapped late fees in 2019. |
| Ivanhoe | Walter Scott | | Fort Collins Public Library | 13 Feb 1919 | | 2024 | 105 | The well-annotated book was found in the possession of a woman who got it from her brother, who found it in their mother's belongings in Kansas. Under the fine of 2 cents per day, the fine when returned would be around $14,000 when adjusted for inflation. The library had stopped enfocing fines in 2020. |
| Famous Composers | Nathan Haskell Dole | | Saint Paul Public Library | 1919 | | Nov 2023 | 104 | After the book was added to the library in 1914, it was checked out and was one of a third of its books to survive a fire the next year. The book had been returned to the library in 1916. After its later century-long loan it was deemed too delicate to return to circulation. |
| Shakespeare’s Life of King Henry the Fifth | William Shakespeare | Lillian L. Burns | Paterson Public Library | | 1 Feb 1923 | Sept 2024 | 101 | Denver resident Cyndy Delhaie found the book among those she had inherited from her grandmother Arlene Delhaie in 1995, and shipped it to the library. A projection of a fine based on contemporary fees of 10 cents per day was $3,686.50. |
| Forty Minutes Late | Francis Hopkinson Smith | Phoebe Johnson | San Francisco Public Library | 1917 | | 2017 | 100 | Johnson died one week prior to its due date. Her descendant, Webb Johnson, discovered it in 1996 but kept it in fear of a fine. After missing three library fine amnesties, he returned it as part of a pardon granted by the local library authority; a potential $3,650 fine was waived. |
| Facts I Ought to Know about the Government of My Country | William Henry Bartlett | | New Bedford Library | 2 May 1910 | | Dec 2009 | 99 | It was returned by 75-year-old Stanley Dudek; he said it was likely loaned to his mother by the original borrower when she moved to the United States from Poland at age 14. She had died 10 years prior at age 89. The penny-a-day late fee would have been $360 but this was waived and the book was put in a special collection. |
| A History of the United States | Benson John Lossing | John McCormick | St Helena Public Library, Napa | | 21 Feb 1927 | May 2023 | 96 | Jim Perry found the book in his late wife Sandra Learned Perry's collection; the book was likely owned by her grandfather, McCormick. Perry theoretically owed about $1,756 in fines at one nickel per day. |
| Youth and Two Other Stories | Joseph Conrad | | Larchmont Public Library | 11 Oct 1953 | | Oct 2023 | 90 | A woman from Virginia found it in her stepfather's belongings and mailed it back to the library. The overdue fee could have been $6,400 at 20 cents per day, but was instead $5 as it had been considered lost after 30 days. |
| The Bounty Trilogy | Charles Nordhoff, James Norman Hall | | Aberdeen Timberland Library | | 30 Mar 1942 | June 2023 | 81 | Brad Bitar returned the copy; it had been sitting in his garage in Olympia, Washington. He said the borrower may have left the book behind while visiting his family's former store in Hoquiam. If fines accrued at the rate stated in the book, it would have cost $484.80, though the library stopped charging late fees in 2020. It was not put back in circulation. |
| The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde | | Chicago Public Library | 1934 | | Sep 2012 | 78 | The daughter of the borrower returned the book during the library's first amnesty in 20 years. She had wanted to be sure that she wouldn't go to jail. |
| Stravinsky: An Autobiography | Igor Stravinsky | | Woodstock Library | 4 Apr 1952 | 18 Apr 1952 | Dec 2024 | 72 | Late fees had been removed in 2021. |
| Fire of Francis Xavier | Arthur R. McGratty | | Fort Washington Library | 10 Apr 1958 | 8 May 1958 | 4 Feb 2013 | 55 | The book arrived in the mail with $100 check inside. Potential fines were estimated at $5,018.75 at 25 cents per day, though the maximum fine for the late book was its own cost. |
| Beowulf | Chauncey Brewster Tinker (translator) | | Sewickley Public Library | January 1969 | | Dec 2023 | 54 | The 5 cents per day fine from the time of its borrowing would have accumulated to $1,000, however this was limited to the book's cost of $0.98 as it was presumed missing. The library had since adopted a fine-free policy. |
| Ideal Marriage: Its Physiology and Technique | Theodoor Hendrik van de Velde | | Mid-Manhattan Library | 3 Aug 1959 | 17 Aug 1959 | 2013 | 54 | The book was found in Arizona amongst the belongings of the finder's late brother-in-law from New York. It was returned with a note reading; "We found this book amongst my late brother-in-law's things. Funny thing is the book didn't support his efforts with his first (and only) marriage... it failed! No wonder he hid the book! So sorry!!" |
| Lombardi: Winning is the Only Thing | Jerry Kramer (editor) | | Benson Memorial Library, Titusville, Pennsylvania | | 26 Jul 1973 | Dec 2024 | 51 | The original borrower returned the book. The library had not charged fines for overdue boks since 2021, and placed the book on display. |
| The Early Work of Aubrey Beardsley | Aubrey Beardsley | | Worcester Public Library | 1973 | 22 May 1973 | 2024 | 51 | Obtained by the library in July 1899, a Boston resident returned the book to Cambridge Public Library, which then sent it to Worcester Library. The late fee would have been $2000 if these fees had not been abolished by the library. |
| Goodbye, Mr. Chips | James Hilton | | Unknown | Jul 1970 | | Dec 2021 | 51 | The book was checked out in July 1970 from an address that is now associated with a shopping plaza, and returned to Flushing Library in Queens, New York City, after the city's library system ended late fees. |
| Baseball's Zaniest Stars | Howard Liss | Chuck Hildebrandt | Warren Public Library | 1974 | 4 Dec 1974 | 4 Dec 2024 | 50 | 13-year-old Hildebrandt borrowed the book years later decided to return it on the due date's 50th anniversary. He and the book had been erased from the library's system, and he was allowed to keep it. He attempted to raise an approximate equivalent of a fine, $4,564, for Reading Is Fundamental. |
| Leaves of Grass | Walt Whitman | | Hopewell Regional Library | 3 Jun 1974 | | 22 Aug 2024 | 49 | First obtained by the library in 1959, the book was returned almost 50 years later. It would have accumulated a late fee of about $1700 but these had since been dismissed by the library. |
| The Geller Papers | Charles Panati | Uri Geller (illusionist) | Los Angeles Public Library | Jan 1977 | Jan 1977 | Jun 2024 | 47 | Geller himself checked out the book, about experiments performed on him by the CIA, to show it to a friend. He unknowingly brought it with him to several countries, ending up in Israel, and finally found it in a storage container. His daughter brought the book back to the library. |
| Days and Deeds | | Emily Canellos-Simms | Kewanee Public Library | | 15 Apr 1955 | 13 Nov 2003 | 47 | Canellos-Simms found the book in her mother's house, and gave the library a cheque of $345.14. This won the Guinness World Record for "largest library book fine paid". |