Missing 120 Years, A Library Book Finally Makes Its Way Home

Another case of a long overdue library book being returned emerged last month, though this one was longer than most. It was returned over 119 years late. It's safe to say that the anonymous person who returned it was not the borrower, but we know nothing of where it has been hiding these past 119 years. It managed to find its way from New Bedford, Massachusetts, to West Virginia, a long distance but not all that many miles per year when divided by 119.

The book is An Elementary Treatise on Electricity, written by James Clerk Maxwell, published in 1881. Maxwell died two years earlier, but his colleagues found his notes, added some portions from other things he wrote, and completed the book. Maxwell had been working many years on it so fortunately they prevented his years of work from going to waste. You wouldn't want to use this work as your ultimate source for knowledge about electricity today, but looking through it, the book is obviously quite advanced and detailed for its day and beyond my level of understanding even all these years later. Maxwell was writing much closer to the time Franklin conducted his kite and key experiment than to today. Indeed, Maxwell died the year Edison invented the light bulb. He probably never knew.

The book was discovered in a collection of donations by the West Virginia University Libraries. Their rare book curator chose to do the right thing – he sent it back to the New Bedford Free Public Library. That library might not have been so free if they chose to charge the accumulated late fees except there was an out not all libraries provide. They had a maximum charge. The late fee was 5¢ a day, but the maximum was $2. That was a lot of money in 1903 but not much now. Without that limit, the fine would have been well over $2,000 by now.

The New Bedford Library posted a message on its Facebook page - “It’s never too late to return an overdue library book!” They continued, “Today, West Virginia University’s Rare Books Curator found in their donations one of our Special Collection’s materials - a book that was checked out nearly 120 years ago! The book is titled “An Elementary Treatise on Electricity” by James Clerk Maxwell and has made the journey back home to New Bedford! Thank you West Virginia University!”

Our knowledge of electricity isn't the only thing that has changed since 1903. New Bedford has too. In 1903, it had just emerged from its reputation as the major port for the U.S. whaling fleet. The discovery of petroleum dried up the demand for whale oil. In 1903, its leading industry, then enjoying rapid expansion, was textile manufacturing. That too has since disappeared, literally going South where labor was cheaper. Today, its port is still important as a home to its fishing fleet, and it hopes to serve offshore wind farms planned for the Atlantic. New Bedford is also where they make Titleist golf balls, long considered the premier brand in America. A lot has changed in New Bedford since 1903, but one thing remains the same – their library possesses a copy of An Elementary Treatise on Electricity.