You know that feeling when you find a library book tucked away in the bottom of your wardrobe and start to worry about the overdue fees. Well, what about if that library book was almost 64 years overdue!
Vedran Levi, an employee of Dubrovnik Libraries, returned a long-lost book to the Gainsborough Library in Ipswich, Great Britain. The book "The Loving Couple" by Virginia Rowans was extremely popular in 1956, as evidenced by the seal that it was borrowed 14 times before it disappeared. The last stamp is from July 1958, when it did not find its way back - until Levi noticed it and decided to return it with this message.
"Dear colleagues,
I found this book in a bag left in our library. People usually do this when they no longer need them so we can then use them or pass them on. The book is called "Her Story". It was taken by someone from the Ipswich County Public Library, Gainsborough branch in 1958. As her story continues, it is right for the book to go around the whole circle and return to where its journey began.
I feel it is not up to us to decide how the journey will end.
I wish you all the best.”
Rather overdue but not lost - Photo DKD
And after sending the book over 2,200 kilometres back to its original home Kim Risby from the Gainsborough library responded to the gesture of goodwill by stating in The Daily Mail that “It was a really lovely gesture from our colleagues in Croatia. I am used to book being overdue but nothing as long as this.”
Dubrovnik good news story in The Daily Mail - Photo Reader's Photo