A library book has been returned a whopping 39 years after it was first borrowed - can you imagine the late fees on that?
However, fortunately for the person returning the book, Gelderland Zuid library, in Groesbeek in the Netherlands, has a cap on their fines meaning they had to pay just €5 (£4.45) despite having the book for nearly four decades.
Posting about the bizarre incident online, a worker at the library explained: "If this was not the case, the fine would have risen to €1,530.75 (£1,363.51)." Yikes.
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The book was checked out in February 1981 and was due back in March of the same year - but it ended up being returned 39 years, 13 weeks and five days late.
The checked-out book was a copy of Terugnaar Oegstgeest - Return to Oegstgeest in English - and is a 1965 autobiographical novel by artist and author Jan Wolkers.
And it's surely a ringing endorsement of the book that someone held onto it for held onto it for almost 40 years.
The library's Twitter account posted: "Sometimes, as a library employee, you cannot believe your eyes.
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"It must have been difficult for the reader to let this go."
According to RTL Nieuws the person found the book in the attic and put in quite a bit of effort to return it.
A worker at the library told the news outlet that at first he thought it was a joke 'but it turned out to be really a book by us. The ticket showed that, and it was dated March 5, 1981, written by hand'.
He went on to say it was pretty incredible that the book had ended up back where it belonged as the library has actually moved three times in the past four decades.
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The librarian added: "He really made an effort to find the correct address and return the book. The address on the card has been incorrect for about 35 years."
Featured Image Credit: Bibliotheek Gelderland Zuid/@bieb024Topics: World News, Weird
