I returned an overdue library book — 56 years later

Danke!

A British woman finally returned a German language textbook to a library in England — nearly 57 years after checking it out as a teenager.

Lesley Harrison, 70, could have faced a $2,400 fine for holding on to “Ich Lerne Deutsch” for longer than three weeks, but the North Tyneside Council abolished late return fees last year.

“I was doing O-Level German at Whitley Bay Grammar School and went on to do A-Level German, as well as French, and I later taught myself Spanish,” Harrison told the council this week.

“I knew I hadn’t brought the book back, and when I moved out of my parents’ house, I thought I wouldn’t be able to afford the fine, so it stayed in a drawer. We moved around a lot, and it always came with me.”

Harrison was 14 when she borrowed the book from the Whitley Bay Library in April 1966. She remembers studying the text just months before England’s famous World Cup Final win over West Germany in July 1966.

After finishing her exams, Harrison worried she wouldn’t be able to afford the late fees — which amounted to about four cents a week.

The retired civil servant, who once considered a career as a librarian, said she got married in 1974 and moved away from North Tyneside.

“We came back in 2013, and since then, I’ve been very good at bringing books back. I don’t think I’ve ever paid a fine,” Harrison insisted. “I’ve been scrupulous to bring the books back or renew them online.”

North Tyneside abolished late fees starting in December in the hopes it would encourage more people to frequent its libraries to check out new books and return overdue ones.

The council also offered vouchers for its sport and leisure centers as a prize for the most overdue library book in North Tyneside.

Harrison brought her ancient tome to the Killingworth Library in December.

“When I heard about the amnesty, I thought, ‘I’m sure I’ve got an old book lying around somewhere,’ and I know the library staff were shocked and amused when I brought it in,” Harrison recalled.

“It’s still in a good condition though. I do look after my books.”

Councillor Sandra Graham, the cabinet member responsible for libraries, thanked Harrison for returning the book, raving it’s in “great condition.”

“We’ve had such a positive response to our decision to scrap fines, and this is the oldest book we’ve had back by some distance. Better late than never,” she said.

The council noted the Guinness record for the most overdue library book is held by “Scriptores Rerum Germanicarum Septentrionalium, Vicinorumque Populorum Diversi,” which was borrowed in 1668 and returned to Sidney Sussex College 288 years later.

Just last month, a British library waived a $52,400 fee for a book that had been overdue for 58 years.

And late last year, a former patron of a library in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, returned a car repair manual — 47 years late.