In the 1870s, someone borrowed a book from Kiama Library for one month; 150 years later, Ross Simmons returned it after finding it in a fireplace, but the $20,000 inflation-adjusted fine was never charged by librarians

Some library books are overdue by a few days, while others become part of history. A library book has finally returned home after an extraordinary journey that lasted almost 150 years. The volume, The Antiquities of Athens, disappeared from Kiama Public Library in New South Wales sometime in the 1870s and was eventually discovered hidden inside an old tea crate sealed into a fireplace.

Decades after the crate was found during renovations, 77-year-old Ross Simmons opened the historic book and found something that immediately associated it to the local community: the words “Kiama Public Library” stamped inside.

What followed was the return of one of the oldest and most unusual overdue books in the library's history.

A discovery hidden behind a fireplace

The story started around 30 years ago when an Australian family was renovating their home. During the work, they found an old tea crate that had been sealed inside the fireplace.

Inside the crate was The Antiquities of Athens, a book dealing with classical Greek architecture. Rather than quickly returning it to a library, the volume remained with the family and gathered dust for years.

Simmons eventually started looking through the book more carefully. That was when he found the Kiama Public Library stamp.

The discovery raised an intriguing possibility: the book had not simply been left behind by a previous homeowner. It seemed to have been borrowed from Kiama's library many decades earlier.

Simmons decided that the book belonged back where it came from.

A 150-year overdue return

Simmons took the book to Kiama Library and showed it to library manager Michelle Hudson.

Hudson immediately realized that the object in front of her was far more than an old book.

“I was looking at it wondering what he was going to tell me,” Hudson describes to Ros Childs of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). “He was returning it to its rightful place.”

The return was remarkable because Kiama Library had never recorded a book disappearing for such a long duration and then unexpectedly coming back.

The library was established in 1872 and originally held fewer than 1,000 books. As per its historical records, The Antiquities of Athens was the 506th title in the collection.

Exactly when the book was borrowed remains uncertain. Library staff assume it was probably checked out sometime during the 1870s, but the original lending register has not survived.

Who borrowed it?

The identity of the individual who originally borrowed the book may never be established.

However, Simmons has a family theory.

He believes the book could have belonged to his relative John Simmons, who immigrated to Australia in 1857 and later became an architect. John Simmons was living in the area around the period when the book is believed to have disappeared.

“I’m making an assumption,” Simmons tells the Associated Press' Rod McGuirk. “He was in residence in the cottage around about that time, and his children were probably too young.”

There is no surviving library record to confirm the theory, so the original borrower's identity continues to be a mystery.

What would the fine be today?

The rules printed inside The Antiquities of Athens offer a fascinating glimpse into how Kiama's library operated during the 19th century.

Under the library's early bylaws, patrons could borrow a book for one month. Anyone who kept a book beyond that period was charged three pence for every additional week.

After roughly 150 years, the accumulated late fees would be enormous.

According to a statement from Kiama Library, the historical penalties would amount to about A$28,000, or nearly US$20,000, when adjusted for inflation.

Fortunately for Simmons—and perhaps for whoever originally borrowed the book—there is no $20,000 bill waiting at the library.

The library no longer charges late fees, and the person responsible for the original overdue return cannot be identified.

Strange rules from another era

The old bylaws contain many rules that may seem unusual to modern library users.

Most households were permitted to borrow only one book at a time. There was, however, an exception for households in which six members were “known to be able to read.”

Another rule dealt with people trying to borrow books while “in a state of intoxication.” Such patrons would “not be entitled to receive one.”

The rules illustrate how different public libraries were in the 1870s, when books were valuable community resources and lending systems were governed by strict regulations.

The recovered copy of The Antiquities of Athens therefore offers more than a fascinating overdue-book story. It also offers a physical connection to the earliest years of Kiama's library.

Remarkably well preserved

Considering the book's unusual history, its condition is surprisingly good.

The volume suffered some water damage, but Kiama Library described it as being in “remarkably good condition.”

It survived years inside a tea crate and apparently remained protected inside the fireplace until the house was renovated.

After the crate was discovered, the book stayed with Simmons' family for years. It was only recently that he examined it closely enough to find the library stamp and understand its significance.

That chance discovery eventually reunited the book with the institution that had owned it in the 19th century.

The book will not be borrowed again

Although The Antiquities of Athens has now returned to Kiama Library, it will not be placed back into the regular lending collection.

Instead, the historic volume will become part of the library's local history collection, where members of the public can see it in person.

The decision is understandable after the book's extraordinary absence.

As Hudson tells BBC News' Lana Lam, “We don’t want to wait another 150 years for it to come back.”

The discovery has already generated considerable interest in the local community. Some people have reportedly travelled up to 40 minutes to see the unusual returned book.

A story of survival and redemption

Kiama Library has embraced the story not simply as an amusing tale about an extremely overdue book, but as an example of how an object can survive across generations and unexpectedly find its way home.

“We like to think this was because it is an unlikely story of survival (of the book) and redemption (of the borrower),” the library says in the statement. “The subject of the book—The Antiquities of Athens—certainly lends itself to these universal and timeless themes.”

The book's subject makes the connection particularly fitting. A volume about the ancient world has itself become a historical artifact, carrying proof of an Australian library's earliest years.

Source: Smithsonian Magazine

FAQs:

Q1. What is the story about?

The story concerns an old library book that was returned roughly 150 years after it was apparently borrowed. It was discovered after spending decades hidden inside a fireplace.

Q2. Where was the book returned?

The book was returned to Kiama Public Library in New South Wales, Australia. The library plans to preserve it as part of its local history collection.