A book removed in February 1904 from the New Bedford Public Library, a city located in the state of Massachusetts, in the United States, has finally returned to its shelves after 119 years. And in great condition.
According to the local press, the work “An elementary treatise on electricity”, by James Clerk Maxwell, was found by Stewart Plein, curator of rare books at the West Virginia University Libraries –almost 1,000 kilometers away from New Bedford–, when he was reviewing a recent book donation.
Upon finding the book, Plein noted that it was from the collection of the New Bedford library and that, due to the lack of a specific postmark, the book had not been discarded, just not returned. Also according to local press, Plein contacted Jodi Goodman, the librarian of special collections in New Bedford, to alert her to the discovery.
“It came back in extremely good condition,” said Olivia Melo, director of the New Bedford Public Library. “Someone obviously kept this on a nice shelf because it was in such good condition and has probably been passed down through generations of the family.”
The book, which talks about the different possibilities of using electricity, was first published in 1881, two years after the author’s death. Still, Olivia said that the edition of the work is not considered rare.
Olivia also reported that she has received books that are 10 or 15 years late, but nothing close to a century or more.
The library charges a late fee of 5 cents a day. The “small” delay of 119 years would, in theory, total US$2,100 (about R$10,250), but the library has a maximum fee limit of US$2 (R$9.76).
Source: CNN Brasil
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