An Australian public library in the seaside town of Kiama, south of Sydney, has had a book returned an estimated 150 years late. The book, titled "Antiquities of Athens" and published in 1858, was discovered by a man during a home renovation, found inside a tea crate bricked into a sealed fireplace.
Library manager Michelle Hudson stated that they had "never had anything that old come back to us." The estimated overdue fine, allowing for inflation, would be approximately A$28,000 (US$19,500), based on a British three pence a week overdue fee printed on the book's inside cover. However, Hudson noted that the library journal from the 1870s, which recorded borrowers, has been lost, making it impossible to trace the final borrower.
The book, marked as No 506 in the library's original collection, has some water damage. It is expected to have been lost within a few years of the library opening in 1872. The returned volume will now be displayed in the library's local history collection, with Hudson confirming it will not be allowed to be borrowed again.