Book finally returned to Gelderland library after 40 years, borrower gets €5 fine

A library in Groesbeek in Gelderland has finally been reunited with one of its books after almost 40 years. 

Jan Wolkers’ book Back to Oegstgeest was supposed to be back on March 5, 1981. Clearly, the borrower was really, really enjoying this book. Or at least, they were taking the time to really appreciate it. 39 years, 13 weeks and 5 days, to be exact.

Luckily for the borrower, the library has a cap on the maximum fine that can be given for a late return. The cap is at €5, so this lucky borrower didn’t really have much of a punishment waiting for them. If there hadn’t been a cap, however, the total fine would have gone up tp €1,530.75. So uh. Let’s all be grateful for libraries, shall we?

Have you ever returned a book late to the library? Know anyone who could beat this borrower’s record? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature Image: Lisa Fotios/Pexels

Ailish Lalor
Ailish Lalor
Ailish was born in Sydney, Australia, but grew up by a forest in south-east Ireland, which she has attempted to replace with a living room filled with plants in The Hague. Besides catering to her army of pannenkoekenplantjes, Ailish spends her days convincing her friends that all food is better slightly burnt, plotting ways to hang out with dogs and cats, and of course, writing for DutchReview.

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