Approximately 120 years ago, a student at Hereford Cathedral School in the UK checked out a library book he never got around to returning. Arthur Boycott is no longer alive to deliver the book back to its rightful home in person, but recently, his granddaughter was able to clear his name for him, the BBC reports.
Alice Gillett stumbled upon the University’s copy of The Microscope and Its Revelations by Dr. William B. Carpenter while rifling through her family’s collection of some 6000 volumes. Even though it was about a dozen decades overdue, Gillett decided to return it after spotting the HCS library stamp inside. Fortunately for her, the school agreed to waive the late fee, which would have amounted to something close to $9361.
Despite his apparent lack of respect for their library system, Boycott went on to become a source of pride for the school, earning a name for himself as an accomplished naturalist. And he’s in good company when it comes to epically overdue library books: A book George Washington borrowed from the New York Society Library went unreturned for 221 years.
[h/t BBC]
December 11, 2016 – 4:00pm