Book Finally Returned To New York State Library 72 Years Overdue

Read any good history books lately? How about the life of Teddy Roosevelt? You can read about how this former President expanded the national parks services, help built the Panama Canal, and lead the Rough Riders, among his many achievements? Bully! Well, one New York state man held on to this biography a little longer than any library probably ever intended. But now, the Southhampton Press says the book on the life of our 26th President (and 33rd Governor of New York), has been finally been returned overdue. The only thing here was that it was returned almost 72 years late. Whoops.

Better late than never, we suppose?

UPI reports that John Moss might have found the copy of Great Heart: The Life Story of Theodore Roosevelt, by Daniel Henderson, at his parent's house when he helped clean it out in 2013. The Amagansett Free Library determined it had been due back since April 5, 1949. Moss said he's collected a bunch of books over the years from a number of sources. Chances are he had no idea the old book was actually the library's?

UPI says Moss returned the book to Amagansett, in Suffolk County, just recently. The overdue fee? Library director Lauren Nichols said it would come out to about $262 at the 1949 rate of one penny a day. Lucilky, the Amagansett Library no longer has late fees.

Seventy two years might be the latest we've ever heard a book overdue. There's been some other long overdue book though. In 2019, a New Jersey man returned a copy of The Family Book of Verse, which he had checked out from his school library in Fairlawn, after 53 years. Harry Krame was 65 years-old at the time when he returned the book, and said he found it when cleaning out his basement. He was only 13 when he first checked it out. His reason for it being so long overdue? He said he either lost it, or just forgot about it.