What was the last thing you returned to an overdue library book?
It took 48 years and 107 days for one person from BC.
Staff at the Tooting Library in London, UK, were shocked to receive a book on Monday, which appears to have been last checked on 19 February 1974.
The book, A Confederate General from Big Sur by Richard Brotigan, arrived by mail from Port Moody, British Columbia
“We received a mysterious package in the mail … it said he had returned from Port Moody, but there was no other information, no note,” said Christopher Arnsby, operations manager at Wandsworth Libraries.
Wandsworth Libraries has a new longest-running book. Returned after 48 years and 107 days. Thanks to the person who sent it back to the Tooting Library from Port Moody in Canada. The questions are how did you get there? pic.twitter.com/5qb1wCHPod
– @ wandsworthlibs
The library staff decided to post on Twitter to see if anyone could tell them where it came from.
Because the library did not have a computer system until the late 1980s, Arnsby said they did not have records from that time and did not know the book was missing.
He said he believed it could be their longest-returned book.
“As far as I know, this is the current record,” he told the CBC.
Christopher Arnsby, chief operating officer of Wandsworth Libraries in London, pictured in Zoom, holding a copy of A Confederate General from Big Sur by Richard Brotigan. (Michelle Gomez / CBC News)
He said the fine for the overdue book would be around £ 6,000 (approximately $ 9,440 at the time of publication) if the library did not limit fees to £ 8.50 (approximately $ 13). But Arnsby said they were waiving the fine for the case.
“It seemed a little unwise to charge a fine, given that he went through all the trouble of sending him back from Canada.”
Asked what he would like to say to the sender, Arnsby replied:
“Thank you so much for returning the book. They kept it for so long, I hope they read it more than once and I hope they enjoyed it.”
The mystery is solved
The man who returned the book was Tony Spence, a former provincial court judge in British Columbia who lives in Belcara, which borders Port Moody to the northwest. A BBC reporter followed him through a Port Moody Facebook group.
“We did a deep purge, something like Marie Condo,” Spence told the CBC.
He said he found a box in the corner of their crawl space full of magazines from the time they lived in London – along with a very overdue library book.
The book was last checked on February 19, 1974, and the Tutting Library in London received the book back in the mail on Monday. Christopher Arnsby said they had waived overdue fines for the book. (Wendsworth Libraries)
Spence said he did not remember watching or reading the book, although he did remember reading another book by the same author, Trout Fishing in America.
“He was a cult figure at the time, quite famous,” Spence said.
Spence intended to include a note in the package when he mailed it in April. But when he got to the post office, he realized he had forgotten to write it and couldn’t worry, he said.
“I would apologize to all those people who have detained him for the last 50 years.”
Tony Spence, a retired judge from a provincial court in British Columbia, says he does not remember checking or reading the book he returned more than 48 years after the due date. (Submitted by Tony Spence)
Spence said he wanted to give other people a chance to read it. He hopes the library will display it so people can rediscover the author.
Arnsby said that given the interest in the book’s journey, the library will put the book on display along with related news clippings for the time being.
He said it was returned in really good condition and could be returned directly to the shelves after the exhibition.
“I would certainly encourage other people to check their shelves and see if there is anything hidden there … return them to the Tooting Library and borrow a few more books, but try to return them within the limit,” he said. Arnsby.
Spence said he was glad the book arrived safely and could enjoy others.
“I hope they laugh a little at that, and I think they did because they decided to give up the late fines.”
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