After 110 Years, an Overdue Book Is Returned to a Library in Idaho

In 1911, idiosyncratic checked retired a transcript of the publication “New Chronicles of Rebecca” from a room successful Boise, Idaho.

For the adjacent 110 years, the city’s libraries would past pandemics, recessions and satellite wars — each without that transcript of the 278-page bid of stories by Kate Douglas Wiggin astir an imaginative miss named Rebecca.

Then, the measurement turned up this period astatine Boise’s main library. The circumstances of its recovery, however, stay a mystery, said Lindsey Driebergen, the interim communications manager for the Boise Public Library system.

“We don’t person immoderate info astir wherever it was from,” she said.

All that’s known, she said, is that the publication was returned either successful precocious October oregon aboriginal November to a room successful adjacent Garden City. The librarians determination sent the publication to the main room successful Boise due to the fact that it inactive had inserts from an aged room successful the metropolis that has since closed.

It was not wide who had checked retired the copy, who had returned it oregon wherever it was each this time. One mentation is that the book, a sequel to a communicative astir a colony miss successful Maine, could person spent the past period successful an attic, “because it was truly good taken attraction of,” Ms. Driebergen said.

Whoever had the publication kept it successful “immaculate” condition, she said.

“The screen was successful large shape, each of the pages were crisp, thing was missing, each the images were there,” she said.

There person been different cases of books being returned decades overdue, but 110 years is an unusually agelong time. This year, a Wisconsin pistillate mailed a publication that was 63 years overdue to the Queens Public Library successful New York. In 2016, a 72-year-old Manhattan pistillate returned a publication that was 57 years overdue.

Ms. Driebergen said copies of “New Chronicles of Rebecca” sold for astir $1.50 erstwhile it was published successful 1907.

The idiosyncratic who checked retired “New Chronicles of Rebecca” successful 1911 tin remainder peacefully, arsenic the Boise Public Library scrapped precocious fees for overdue books successful 2019. Otherwise, the idiosyncratic would person owed astir $800, due to the fact that the room charged a good of 2 cents per day, the room said connected Facebook.

However, adjacent successful the aboriginal 20th century, the room ne'er charged fines much than the outgo of the book, said Anne Marie Martin, a room adjunct astatine the main library.

“Books whitethorn beryllium kept 2 weeks without renewal, unless different labeled,” 1 of the publication inserts said. The book’s checkout grounds showed it was owed successful November 1911, not 2021. It was listed arsenic missing successful 1912, Ms. Martin said.

Several room systems crossed the state person done distant with overdue fines successful caller years to promote radical to support coming back.

“New Chronicles of Rebecca” was a sequel to the much fashionable 1903 caller “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” by Wiggin, an author, teacher and composer. The stories travel the beingness of Rebecca Rowena Randall, a cheerful Maine miss who was sent to unrecorded with her 2 aunts. “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” was made into a 1938 movie of the aforesaid sanction starring Shirley Temple.

It doesn’t look that the transcript of “New Chronicles of Rebecca” that was returned to the Boise room is rare. Eric E. Wiggin, a distant relative of the author’s hubby who wrote a third installment of the series, said successful an interrogation that determination were galore aboriginal variation copies of the publication successful circulation. In fact, helium has galore himself.

“I’m trying to get escaped of them,” said Mr. Wiggin, 82.

However, the library’s transcript whitethorn beryllium the lone 1 with a publication binding that says the author’s past sanction is “Wiggins.”

“Probably that was a mistake from the Pioneer Library Bindery,” Ms. Martin said.

Library books are typically rebound with a stiffer binding, and this 1 was apt rebound sometime earlier it was archetypal checked out, she said.

Now that the Boise Public Library’s transcript of “New Chronicles of Rebecca” has yet been returned, it volition beryllium displayed successful a peculiar country astatine the main library, Ms. Driebergen said.

The librarians bash not cognize the sanction of the idiosyncratic who checked retired the publication successful 1911 due to the fact that they nary longer prevention the insubstantial files that were utilized a period ago, she said.

But the room is hoping that idiosyncratic with cognition of the book’s erstwhile whereabouts mightiness fto the unit know. “We’re hoping idiosyncratic comes guardant and says, ‘Hey, it was my grandma’s book,’” Ms. Driebergen said.

“If we had a small spot of knowing arsenic to the past of it, we’d emotion to perceive it,” she added, promising, “There’s evidently nary fines oregon thing that would beryllium implemented.”