Most library users dread the idea of late fees, but one fearless Washington state man has really risked the wrath of librarians by returning a book some 81 years after it was taken out.
Brad Bitar returned a copy of The Bounty Trilogy by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall – published in 1932 – to the Aberdeen Timberland library last week, CNN reported.
It was originally due to be returned in March 1942 – as the second world war raged, FDR was the US president and when modern inventions like computers and cellphones were unimaginable.
Bitar, who lives in Olympia, Washington, told CNN the book may have been left by someone while visiting his family’s now-closed store in Hoquiam, Washington. Bitar collects historical artifacts and found the book among the antique items left behind from the shop.
“My assumption was that the library was probably not going to be interested in taking it back,” Bitar told CNN.
But he was wrong when he decided he would return the tome.
Anna Lisa Rasmussen, social media specialist for the Timberland regional library system, told CNN: “The person that accepted the book I think was really stunned and kind of couldn’t believe it.”
In an Instagram post, the library said it had calculated overdue fees for the book were roughly $480. However, the library stopped charging late fees in 2020 to remove financial barriers that might discourage people from visiting and taking out books, and so Bitar owed nothing.
The Instagram posted added: “The moral of this story? If you have an overdue book collecting dust – return it to the library. We’ll take it back, and the bounty will be considered paid.”
