After being checked out for 81 years, an overdue book made its way back to a library in Aberdeen Monday, according to the Timberland Regional Library.
The book - “The Bounty Trilogy” by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall - was due March 30, 1942, shortly after the United States entered World War 2.
Found in a storage unit, the book was returned “to the amazement of the library staff.”
Overdue fines accrued at $0.02 a day in 1942, which brought the overdue fee up to $484.80.
However, during the COVID pandemic, overdue fines were eliminated, so no fine was collected.
According to the library, the person that checked it out only made it to page 17 and added a note, “I wouldn’t read this book if I was paid to.”
The man who checked it out died in 2001. He was a graduate of Aberdeen High School and an accomplished track athlete, where he held the record for 80-yeard high hurdles.
KIRO 7 News is not identifying the man.
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