Rare Book Monthly

Articles - June - 2023 Issue

Overdue Library Book Returned a Mere 96 Years Late

Overdue book, last checked out Feb. 21 1927 (St. Helena Public Library photo).

Overdue book, last checked out Feb. 21 1927 (St. Helena Public Library photo).

On February 7, 1927, someone borrowed a copy of A History of the United States by Benson Lossing, a notable 19th century American historian. It was due two weeks later, but was never returned, at least not until now. Tattered, bruised, fragile, and 96 years overdue, the book has finally made its way back to the St. Helena Public Library in St. Helena, California. St. Helena is located in the heart of the Napa Valley wine making region, so perhaps a toast is in order.

 

A lot has happened in the history of the United States since this history book was taken out during the Roaring Twenties. Just a few weeks later, Charles Lindbergh made the first transatlantic flight. Later that year, talking movies - “talkies” - would be introduced. The charmed life of the Roaring Twenties would soon give way to the stock market crash and the Great Depression. Then would come World War II, wars in Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq, 9-11, along with the long Cold War. Television would be invented, antibiotics discovered, atomic bombs, rocket ships, credit cards, rock music, the states of Alaska and Hawaii, computers, cell phones, the internet, Walmart and Amazon, social and anti-social media, and ChatGPT would all appear. Sixteen new presidents would succeed Calvin Coolidge, and there would be six serious presidential assassination attempts, one successful.

And libraries, calm, peaceful places in 1927, became battlegrounds. None of this appears in Lossing's American history.

 

The book was returned by an unidentified man who didn't have much to say. They thought he said something about his father, but they didn't catch much else before he was on his way. And well he should have been. There was a notice in the book that said “A fine of Five Cents a day will be charged on all over-due books.” Thankfully, they didn't charge compounded interest too. After 96 years, it came to a fine of around $1,750. Still, the man had nothing to fear (but fear itself). In 2019, the St. Helena Library dropped all late fees. He owed nothing. Perhaps if the library was aware this book was still out there they would not have been so quick to eliminate late fees. However, the book also contained a notice that “Injuries to books, and books lost, must be paid for.” Perhaps they could have nicked him for that since it was returned in rough shape.

 

The librarians believe this may be one of the original 540 books in the library when it opened in 1892. It is marked as “Accession No. 85.” It not known whether the library card is the original, but at least since it was entered, this was the first time the book was borrowed.

 

For the time being, the library has placed the book in a glass display case with other items. Its story deserves the recognition.

 

In a follow-up, KPIX reported that the library director had said that the man stepped forward to complete the story. He said that his grandfather-in-law, John McCormick, whose family settled the area in the 19th century, was probably the one who “borrowed” the book. He was cleaning up some old books when he came across the volume and returned it. McCormick avoided what would have been a $165 fine, a lot of money in the Great Depression, when he died in 1936. I don't blame him for forgetting about it.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 732. Early Announcement of Continental Congress' Declaration of Independence (1776) Est. $12,000 - $15,000
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 361. One of Ortelius' Most Decorative Maps in Full Contemporary Color (1585) Est. $9,500 - $12,000
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 55. Early Edition of One of the Most Important 16th Century Maps of the New World (1545) Est. $6,000 - $7,500
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 27. Fascinating Japanese Satirical Map of the World Published After WWI (1924) Est. $2,750 - $3,500
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 637. Complete Example of De Bry's Petits Voyages, Part VIII (1606) Est. $4,750 - $5,500
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 50. Extremely Rare Uncut Sheet from Sylvanus's 1511 Edition of Ptolemy's Geographia (1511) Est. $2,000 - $2,300
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 399. One of the Most Desired Maps of Ireland by John Speed (1610) Est. $2,750 - $3,500
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 689. Pictorial Map of Melbourne in the Style of MacDonald Gill (1934) Est. $900 - $1,100
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    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 729. Hand-Colored Image of David Handing the Letter to Uriah (1518) Est. $1,000 - $1,300
    Old World Auctions (Sept 11): Lot 533. Eight-Volume Set Recounting Travels of Anacharsis in Greece (1789) Est. $800 - $950
  • Dominic Winter Auctioneers
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    Dominic Winter, Sep. 11: Exquemelin (Alexandre Olivier). The History of the Bucaniers of America..., 4 parts in one, 3rd edition, 1704. £1,000-1,500
    Dominic Winter, Sep. 11: Greenough (George Bellos). A Physical and Geological Map of England & Wales..., Geological Society, July 1865. £5,000-8,000
    Dominic Winter, Sep. 11: Illuminated Psalter. Manuscript Psalter with Calendar, Flanders or North-East France, late 13th century. £7,000-10,000
    Dominic Winter Auctioneers
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    Printed Books, Maps & Manuscripts, The Polydore Vergil bound for Queen Mary I
    Dominic Winter, Sep. 11: Book of Hours. Illuminated manuscript on vellum, Use of Rome, in Latin, Florence, c. 1470s. £3,000-5,000
    Dominic Winter, Sep. 11: Henry VIII (King of England). Assertio septem sacramentorum adversus Martinum Lutherum, Antwerp: Michiel Hillen, 1522. £3,000-5,000
    Dominic Winter, Sep. 11: Binding for Queen Mary I of England and Ireland. Polydori Vergilii Urbinatis Anglicae..., 1555. £20,000-30,000
    Dominic Winter Auctioneers
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    Dominic Winter, Sep. 11: Llwyd (Humphrey). The Breviary of Britayne..., 1st edition in English, 1573. William Lambarde's copy. £2,000-3,000
    Dominic Winter, Sep. 11: Embroidered Binding. The Whole Book of Psalmes..., Imprinted for the Company of Stationers, 1634. £700-1,000
    Dominic Winter, Sep. 11: Astronomy Manuscript. [Shakerley, Jeremy (1626-c.1655). Tabulae Britannicae, the British tables…], late 17th c. £1,000-1,500
    Dominic Winter Auctioneers
    September 11
    Printed Books, Maps & Manuscripts, The Polydore Vergil bound for Queen Mary I
    Dominic Winter, Sep. 11: Elew (Jan Barend, publisher). Nederlandsch bloemwerk, Amsterdam: J.B. Elwe, 1794. £2,000-3,000
    Dominic Winter, Sep. 11: Vellucent Art Nouveau Binding [Book of Common Prayer] by Herbert Granville Fell, 1900. £1,000-1,500
    Dominic Winter, Sep. 11: Palladio (Andrea). The Architecture of A. Palladio; in Four Books, 2nd edition, 1721. £2,000-3,000
  • Sotheby’s
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    18 September 2024
    Koller, Sep. 18: Cowper, William. Anatomia corporum humanorum ab excellentissimis… Utrecht, 1750. CHF 25,000 to 40,000
    Koller, Sep. 18: Bell, Thomas. A Monograph of the Testudinata. London [1836-1842]. CHF 20,000 to 30,000.
    Koller, Sep. 18: Gould, John. A monograph of the Trochilidae, or family of humming-birds [and] Supplement completed after the authors death…, London [1849-]1861 and [1880-]1887. CHF 50,000 to 80,000.
    Koller Auctions
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    18 September 2024
    Koller, Sep. 18: Gould, John. The birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan Islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia. CHF 50,000 to 80,000.
    Koller, Sep. 18: Levaillant, François. Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis et des rolliers, suivie de celle des toucans et des barbus. Paris [1801-]1806. CHF 40,000 to 60,000.
    Koller, Sep. 18: Pfinzing, Melchior. Die geverlicheiten und einsteils der geschichten des loblichen streytparen…, Nürnberg, 1517. CHF 40,000 to 60,000.
  • Il Ponte, Sep. 24-25: HAMILTON, Sir William - Campi Phlegraei. Napoli: 1779. € 50,000 - 80,000
    Il Ponte, Sep. 24-25: KIRCHER, Athanasius - Turris Babel. Amsterdam: 1679. € 3,000 - 5,000
    Il Ponte, Sep. 24-25: EDWARDS, George.London - Gleanings of Natural History. Londra: 1758-1764. € 7,000 - 10,000
    Il Ponte, Sep. 24-25: HEVELIUS, Johannes - Cometographia. Danzica: 1668. € 20,000 - 30,000
    Il Ponte, Sep. 24-25: KUPKA, Frantisek - Quatre histoires de blanc et noir. Parigi: 1926. € 10,000 - 15,000

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