While most library fines are nickels and dimes, this one was .... a little bit more: an Australian public library received a book an estimated 150 years late.
And if they followed the overdue fee schedule printed inside the book itself, dated from the 1870s, the borrower would owe around $19,500, adjusted for inflation.
But they're off the hook because library officials say they have no way to track down the borrower.
The book, Antiquities of Athens, published in 1858, was found during home renovations inside a sealed fireplace.
The find brought an interesting look into the past as the library noted their rules from that time included restrictions on borrowing books based on reading ability -- at least three people in the house had to be literate -- and a ban on being intoxicated while taking possession of said book.
So, what are they going to do with it? The book, marked as No. 506 in the library's original collection, will be displayed in the local history collection.
“We’re not going to allow it to go back out again. We don’t want to wait another 150 years for this book to be returned,” library manager Michelle Hudson said.
