Librarians gobsmacked as book about tomatoes is returned nearly 50 years later
Librarians were left gobsmacked after an overdue book was returned after nearly 50 years - and still in perfect condition.
The practical guide, called 'Tomatoes for Everyone' by Frank W. Allerton, was loaned out on January 21, 1974. Stamped by the then Orkney County Library, the book gives tips on growing tomatoes and had been taken out eight times before, dating back to 1969.
According to Orkney Library, which is the oldest public library in Scotland, the book was returned yesterday "in excellent condition" after being kept in a box which had moved house several times. Similar versions are being sold on Amazon for £79, making it a prized copy.
Fortunately for the reader, the library doesn't issue overdue fees so they managed to avoid racking up a hefty fine. In a tweet which gained over 17,000 likes, it said: "We've just had a library book returned that was due back in 1974 how's your day going?"
The library continued: "We don't issue overdue fees so the fine on this was exactly £0.00. But if we charged just 1p per day the fine on this would have been *checks calculations* £181.55. When it first became overdue Ted Heath was the Prime Minister of the UK. Richard Nixon was the US President."
In a separate tweet alongside a tomato emoji, the library added: "Have a good weekend everyone." Dozens of social media users took to the comments section to poke fun about the time taken to return the book, with one person writing: "Hope they grew some amazing tomatoes!"
Another joked: "Finally!!! I've had my name down to borrow that for decades!! I just assumed it was incredibly popular and I was at the back of a very long queue", while a third added: "A lot of readers/growers will have missed out on that book. I’m sure they’ll ketchup though!" And a fourth tweeted: "Clearly, the tomatoes weren't for everyone."
In a similar case earlier this year, 70-year-old Lesley Harrison returned an overdue library book 56 years late. She had originally taken it out on a three-week loan from Whitley Bay library in April 1966, but moved away from the area and was too scared to return it because of the skyrocketing fees - with 3p being charged every week it was in her possession.
Lesley eventually made the decision to take the book to Killingworth Library after hearing that the council had abolished its late charges, and was offering a prize for the most overdue book in North Tyneside. Fortunately, kind staff waived the fine that came to more than £2,000.
And in January, the team at Abilene Public Library in Texas, US, welcomed home "a copy of Chiton's Auto Repair Manual 1954 - 1963 after it was signed out in the late 1970s. It would have cost the reader a $1,606 (£1,304.81) fine if they hadn't gone "fine free" in recent years.
Taking to Facebook, a team member wrote: "Welcome home! Before there were barcodes and scanning and RFID tags, there were cards with pockets. This little nugget found it's way back to the Abilene Public Library, after being checked out by the Water Department 44 years ago!"
Meanwhile, pensioner David Hickman was just 17 when he borrowed The Law for Motorists in 1964 after being involved in a car accident. After the ordeal, he forgot all about his library book and it ended up in the back of his cupboard drawer.
But aged 76, David decided to do the right thing and return his overdue book, which had been costing him a 20p late fee per day since the 1960s. The library could have charged him a whopping £42,340 for returning the book 58 years late - but they decided to waive the fee after hearing his amusing story.
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