Kiama Library Receives Long-Lost Book After 150-Year Absence
A 150-year-old book has been returned to an Australian public library in Kiama, where it was likely lost after being borrowed by someone from a family that owned the house. The book, 'Antiquities of Athens', is a collection of Greek antiquities published in 1858 and was part of the library's original collection of around 1,000 books when it opened in 1872.
The book was found bricked into a fireplace during home renovations by Ross Simmons, who assumed his great-great-grandfather John Simmons had borrowed it. The library manager, Michelle Hudson, suspects the book was lost within a few years of the library's opening.
The late return fine would be around 28,000 Australian dollars ($19,500), calculated on the British three pence-a-week overdue fee printed in the book. However, Hudson notes that the library's records of borrowers from the 1870s are missing, making it impossible to identify the last borrower.
The returned book will be displayed in the library's local history collection and is not expected to be loaned out again anytime soon.