‘Grandma won't be able to pay for it anymore': Library book from 1943 returned
It was checked out in July 1943 and returned this June by a person in Oregon, the San Antonio Public Library said.
'After the recent death of my father, I inherited a few boxes of books he left behind,' the person wrote in a letter that was shared by the library on Instagram and signed with the initials P.A.A.G.
The book was a guide for parents on helping their children navigate personal relationships.
It was checked out when the person's father was 11 years old.
'The book must have been borrowed by my Grandmother, Maria del Socorro Aldrete Flores (Cortez),' the person wrote.
'In that year, she transferred to Mexico City to work at the US Embassy. She must have taken the book with her, and some 82 years later, it ended up in my possession.'
The book had received write-ups in various newspapers at the time.
The Cincinnati Enquirer described it in June 1943 as a 'complete guidebook to the personal relationships of the child with his family and the outside world'.
The New York Times noted a month later that Strain was a psychologist and mother of two who was 'best known for her wise, sensitive, but unsentimental presentation of sex education'.
The person who returned the book wrote in the letter: 'I hope there is no late fee for it because Grandma won't be able to pay for it anymore.'
The library said in a news release that it eliminated overdue fines in 2021.
The inside cover of the book was stamped with the warning that the fine for overdue books was three cents a day.
Not accounting for inflation, the penalty would amount to nearly 900 dollars (£663).
Three cents in July 1943 amounts to 56 cents (41p) in today's money, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics' Inflation Calculator.
That would add up to more than 16,000 dollars (£11,800).
The library noted that the book is in 'good condition'.
It will be on display in the city's central library throughout August.
It will then be donated to the Friends of San Antonio Public Library and sold to benefit the library.
Eight decades may seem like a long time for an overdue library book, but it is nowhere near the record.
Guinness World Records says the most overdue library book was returned to Sidney Sussex College at the University of Cambridge in 1956.
It was borrowed in 1668, some 288 years earlier.
No fine was extracted.
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The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Library book returned 82 years after being borrowed with plea for no late fee: ‘Grandma won't be able to pay for it anymore'
A book has been returned to the San Antonio Public Library almost 82 years after it was loaned out, according to a new report. The book — a copy of "Your Child, His Family, and Friends" by marriage and family counselor Frances Bruce Strain, was returned with a note saying "I hope there is no late fee for it because Grandma won't be able to pay for it anymore." The book was checked out in July 1943 and was returned in June from someone living in Oregon, according to the library. The person who returned the book noted in their letter that they obtained the book after their father died. 'After the recent death of my father, I inherited a few boxes of books he left behind,' the individual wrote. The book gives parents advice for helping their children navigate relationships. The individual's father would have been approximately 11 years old when "grandma" checked the book out in 1943. 'The book must have been borrowed by my Grandmother, Maria del Socorro Aldrete Flores (Cortez),' the person who returned the book reasoned. 'In that year, she transferred to Mexico City to work at the US Embassy. She must have taken the book with her, and some 82 years later, it ended up in my possession.' The book's interior bears a stamp warning borrowers that the overdue fine was three cents a day. Without inflation, that would put the overdue fine at around $900, and with inflation it would be approximately $16,000. Thankfully for the returner, the library stopped charging overdue fines in 2021. The library said that the book was in "good condition" and plans to put it on display in the city's central library through the end of August. After that, the book will be donated to the Friends of San Antonio Public Library and sold to help benefit the library. While 82 years is certainly a long time to wait to return an overdue book, it's not even close to the record for library book returns. According to Guinness World Records, that record was set by a book that was returned to Sidney Sussex College at England's University of Cambridge in 1956. That book was reportedly borrowed from the university in 1668, meaning it was out for approximately 288 years and was overdue for longer than the U.S. has existed as a nation.
Leader Live
2 days ago
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‘Grandma won't be able to pay for it anymore': Library book from 1943 returned
The book – Your Child, His Family, And Friends by marriage and family counsellor Frances Bruce Strain – came with a letter noting that 'Grandma won't be able to pay for it anymore'. It was checked out in July 1943 and returned this June by a person in Oregon, the San Antonio Public Library said. 'After the recent death of my father, I inherited a few boxes of books he left behind,' the person wrote in a letter that was shared by the library on Instagram and signed with the initials P.A.A.G. The book was a guide for parents on helping their children navigate personal relationships. It was checked out when the person's father was 11 years old. 'The book must have been borrowed by my Grandmother, Maria del Socorro Aldrete Flores (Cortez),' the person wrote. 'In that year, she transferred to Mexico City to work at the US Embassy. She must have taken the book with her, and some 82 years later, it ended up in my possession.' The book had received write-ups in various newspapers at the time. The Cincinnati Enquirer described it in June 1943 as a 'complete guidebook to the personal relationships of the child with his family and the outside world'. The New York Times noted a month later that Strain was a psychologist and mother of two who was 'best known for her wise, sensitive, but unsentimental presentation of sex education'. The person who returned the book wrote in the letter: 'I hope there is no late fee for it because Grandma won't be able to pay for it anymore.' The library said in a news release that it eliminated overdue fines in 2021. The inside cover of the book was stamped with the warning that the fine for overdue books was three cents a day. Not accounting for inflation, the penalty would amount to nearly 900 dollars (£663). Three cents in July 1943 amounts to 56 cents (41p) in today's money, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics' Inflation Calculator. That would add up to more than 16,000 dollars (£11,800). The library noted that the book is in 'good condition'. It will be on display in the city's central library throughout August. It will then be donated to the Friends of San Antonio Public Library and sold to benefit the library. Eight decades may seem like a long time for an overdue library book, but it is nowhere near the record. Guinness World Records says the most overdue library book was returned to Sidney Sussex College at the University of Cambridge in 1956. It was borrowed in 1668, some 288 years earlier. No fine was extracted.
Rhyl Journal
2 days ago
- Rhyl Journal
‘Grandma won't be able to pay for it anymore': Library book from 1943 returned
The book – Your Child, His Family, And Friends by marriage and family counsellor Frances Bruce Strain – came with a letter noting that 'Grandma won't be able to pay for it anymore'. It was checked out in July 1943 and returned this June by a person in Oregon, the San Antonio Public Library said. 'After the recent death of my father, I inherited a few boxes of books he left behind,' the person wrote in a letter that was shared by the library on Instagram and signed with the initials P.A.A.G. The book was a guide for parents on helping their children navigate personal relationships. It was checked out when the person's father was 11 years old. 'The book must have been borrowed by my Grandmother, Maria del Socorro Aldrete Flores (Cortez),' the person wrote. 'In that year, she transferred to Mexico City to work at the US Embassy. She must have taken the book with her, and some 82 years later, it ended up in my possession.' The book had received write-ups in various newspapers at the time. The Cincinnati Enquirer described it in June 1943 as a 'complete guidebook to the personal relationships of the child with his family and the outside world'. The New York Times noted a month later that Strain was a psychologist and mother of two who was 'best known for her wise, sensitive, but unsentimental presentation of sex education'. The person who returned the book wrote in the letter: 'I hope there is no late fee for it because Grandma won't be able to pay for it anymore.' The library said in a news release that it eliminated overdue fines in 2021. The inside cover of the book was stamped with the warning that the fine for overdue books was three cents a day. Not accounting for inflation, the penalty would amount to nearly 900 dollars (£663). Three cents in July 1943 amounts to 56 cents (41p) in today's money, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics' Inflation Calculator. That would add up to more than 16,000 dollars (£11,800). The library noted that the book is in 'good condition'. It will be on display in the city's central library throughout August. It will then be donated to the Friends of San Antonio Public Library and sold to benefit the library. Eight decades may seem like a long time for an overdue library book, but it is nowhere near the record. Guinness World Records says the most overdue library book was returned to Sidney Sussex College at the University of Cambridge in 1956. It was borrowed in 1668, some 288 years earlier. No fine was extracted.
