A library book that went missing for 50 years has finally been returned to the Hopewell Branch of the Appomattox Regional Library in Hopewell, Virginia. The overdue book, “Leaves of Grass” by American poet Walt Whitman, was borrowed in the early 1970s and was due back on June 3, 1974. The book was found by a woman who was cleaning out her sister’s home and decided to return it to the library. This is believed to be the longest overdue book that the library has ever had returned. The library representative mentioned that if it wasn’t for the old card catalog system, they would not have known how long some items are checked out for. The library no longer charges overdue fines, so the book accrued no fines during its 50-year absence.
The library representative mentioned that the oldest overdue book returned before this incident was checked out in 2009, which was only five years prior to its return. That book was “The Dilbert Future: Thriving on Stupidity in the Twenty-First Century.” The employees at the library enjoyed having the book returned after so many years and found it sweet that the woman who found it decided to return it after such a long time. Several employees who were born and raised in the area shared stories about what the library used to be like in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. The library representative mentioned that the book would have accrued around $1,774 worth of fines if they were still charging the old rate of 10 cents a day, including holiday closings.
In other odd news in the Lifestyle section, a family met for the first time thanks to a postcard that arrived 121 years later. The family members discovered they were all descendants of siblings, and none of them knew that the others existed. Another heartwarming story featured a young cat that was rescued from an active car wash in Ohio after being blown out of its hiding place in a vehicle. The cat, named “Turbo Rinse,” will soon be available for adoption. Additionally, two fishing buddies in West Virginia set black crappie state records within less than two hours of one another.
The library representative noted that the book return was a unique and unusual experience for the library. The book was returned to the Hopewell Branch of the Appomattox Regional Library, and the woman who found it decided to return it to its rightful place after all these years. She took the initiative to return the book to the library, which was a thoughtful gesture. The library representative expressed gratitude for the woman’s responsible action in returning the long-overdue book. The employees at the library enjoyed the excitement of having such an old book returned and were able to reminisce about the history of the library in the area.
Overall, the return of the long-overdue book “Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman after 50 years marked a unique and surprising event for the Hopewell Branch of the Appomattox Regional Library. The book was found by a woman who was cleaning out her sister’s home, and she decided to return it to the library. The library representative mentioned that the book would have accrued a substantial amount of fines if the library was still charging for overdue items. Other odd news in the Lifestyle section included a heartwarming story of a family meeting for the first time thanks to a postcard that arrived 121 years later, a cat being rescued from a car wash, and fishing buddies setting state records within a short time frame. The employees at the library enjoyed the excitement of having such an old book returned and shared stories about the history of the library in the area.
