10 Ridiculously Overdue Library Books Returned at Last

Have you ever been late turning in a library book? It happens to all of us on occasion. Here are some examples of really overdue library books, so we know we’re not alone!

The Versatile Grain and the Elegant Bean: A Celebration of the World’s Most Healthful Foods by Sheryl and Mel London

Years Overdue: 21

Loaned From: The Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence, Kansas

This healthy cookbook was returned anonymously in 2014, after having been missing since September 24, 1992. This cookbook has over 300 recipes, and given how long it was checked out, I’m willing to bet this person tried every single one of them!

The Real Book About Snakes by Jane Sherman

Years Overdue: 41

Loaned From: The Champaign Country Library, Urbana, Ohio

Like the previous book, the person who turned in this useful field guide on snakes did so anonymously. However, they did provide an explanation: “Sorry I’ve kept this book so long, but I’m a slow reader! I’ve enclosed my fine of $299.30. Once again, my apologies!” At $.02 a day for 41 years, that’s quite a hefty fine for just one book!

The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

Years Overdue: 63

Loaned From: The Rugby Library, Warwick, England

This book was returned home in 2013 during an eight-day fines amnesty period. It’s a good thing the tardy patron decided to turn it in during this period because they otherwise would have had to pay €4,000 in overdue fees (that’s over $4,450 in US dollars)! Librarian Joanna Girdle had this to say about the book’s return: “It’s amazing to think how much the library has changed since that book was taken out in 1950.” I’m sure it has. Hopefully, the book was returned in good quality!

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Years Overdue: 78

Loaned From: The Chicago Public Library, Chicago, Illinois

Harlean Hoffman Vision was worried when she found a rare edition of Oscar Wilde’s classic novel among her late mother’s personal effects. The book was returned in 2012, but her mother had had it in her possession since 1934! Marketing director Ruth Lednicer recalled Harlean being so worried that she was in trouble that she kept asking, “You’re not going to arrest me?” Of course, the book was returned during another amnesty period, so Harlean didn’t even have to pay a fine. “We’re so happy you brought it back!” Ruth remembered telling Harlean. So are we, Herlean!

Master of Men by E. Phillips Oppenheim

Years Overdue: 79

Loaned From: The Leicestershire County Library, Leicester, England

E. Phillips Oppenheim (also known as Anthony Partridge) is generally considered one of the originators of the thriller genre. He also lived in Leicester, so even though the library branch this book originally belonged to had been shut down decades earlier, the Leicestershire County Council was delighted for the return of this piece of the county’s literary history after it turned up in a nearby house.

Facts I Ought to Know About the Government of My Country by William H. Bartlett

Years Overdue: 99

Loaned From: The New Bedford Free Public Library, New Bedford, Massachusetts

When Stanley Dudek’s mother borrowed this book in 1910, he didn’t expect she’d hang on to it until 2009. “For a person who was just becoming a citizen, it was the perfect book for her,” Dudek said. Considering she was just immigrating from Poland, I imagine it was very helpful to her!

An Elementary Treatise on Electricity by James Clerk Maxwell

Years Overdue: 119

Loaned From: The New Bedford Free Public Library, New Bedford, Massachusetts

A rare books curator at West Virginia University Libraries found this book while inspecting a box of donated books. According to the inside of the book, the volume had been checked out on February 14, 1904 – well past its due date, considering the book was found in July 2023! The curator, Stewart Plein, contacted the library and returned the book. At $.05 per day late, this could have been an expensive fine! Fortunately, this library’s late fee maxes out at $2.00. No word on whether or not Plein was responsible for it.

Insectivorous Plants by Charles Darwin

Years Overdue: 122

Loaned From: The Camden Libraries, Sydney Australia

Wouldn’t it be cool to have a Venus flytrap? Somebody thought so. This copy of Darwin’s treatise on bug-eating flora was borrowed in 1889. This thing saw two World Wars, the Apollo moon landing, and the birth of the internet before it was finally returned in July 2011.

The Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians, and Grecians (Volume II) by Charles Rolling

Years Overdue: 150 (approximately)

Loaned From: The Grace Doherty Library, Danville, Kentucky

Given how many ancient societies this book covers, it doesn’t surprise me that it took a lifetime to finish it! “It’s been out of the library for at least 150 years,” librarian Stan Campbell said when this book was finally returned in 2013. It was found at a neighboring school for deaf students. It had been stored there since at least 1854, according to a note dating to that year found inside the copy. The library doesn’t have any records from that period, so it’s anyone’s guess as to how long this book was really gone.

The Law of Nations by Emmerich de Vattel

Years Overdue: 221

Loaned From: The New York Society Library, New York City, New York

If you’re going to lead a new nation, it’s probably good to at least have an idea of what you’re doing. That’s why, five months into his first term, George Washington checked this legal manifesto out from the historic New York Society Library. For more than two centuries, it remained at Mount Vernon. Adjusted for inflation, that fine would have been about $300,000! Fortunately, head librarian Mark Bartlett assured the estate, “We’re not actively pursuing overdue fines. But we would be very happy to see the book returned.” Bartlett’s plea was heard, and the book was finally returned in 2010.

Hopefully, you feel a little bit better about your overdue library books.