‘I’m afraid to touch it’: Library book returned 100 years late

ST. HELENA, Calif. — A book that was checked out nearly 100 years ago has finally found its way back to the library and imagine the fine that would go with it.

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Someone checked out “The History of the United States” in 1927 with it due on Feb. 21, 1927, the St. Helena Star reported.

It missed that deadline by a lot when it was returned recently.

The book’s return caught St. Helana Library Director Chris Kreiden by surprise.

“One of my staff members came up and said somebody had returned that book,” Kreiden told KPIX. “They thought it was cool because it was a really old book. We didn’t realize how old it was. All of us are wondering where the book could have been so long. Checked out in 1927 and actually none of us have seen a library book that was (first) checked out in 1892.”

The book, which was published in 1881, is not in the greatest condition, the Star reported.

“I”m afraid to touch it. It’s falling apart. It doesn’t have a spine anymore,” Kreiden told KPIX.

The book may contain the history of the U.S. up until 1881, but it is also a piece of history itself.

The stamp inside the book reads “Property of the St. Helena Library Association” and staff think it was one of the original 540 books the library had when it opened as the Free Public Library in 1892, the newspaper reported.

Before the free library’s creation, the St. Helena Library Association charged a 25-cent-a-month subscription to borrow books, the newspaper reported.

As for the future of the crumbling book, Kreiden and the staff have to decide what to do with it. They do want to keep it from deteriorating further.

“It would be cool to put it on display someday but we haven’t figured out how to do that,” Kreiden told the Star.

The man who returned the book, himself a mystery, won’t have to worry about the late fee that would have surpassed $1,750. The library used to charge a nickel a day for overdue books, but they did away with fines in 2019, meaning the former borrower wouldn’t be receiving a bill.

“The gentleman just said something about his father, but we didn’t catch anything else,” Kreiden told KPIX. “He didn’t give his name. It wasn’t somebody that she recognized. Other staff have no idea who this gentleman is. We’d love to find out more about the story.”