A library recently received a biography written on Clint Eastwood that was borrowed nearly four decades ago.
The 1983 book titled, “Clint Eastwood” by Gerald Cole and Peter Williams, was checked out by students attending John Bunyan Upper School (now named Bedford Academy) from the Bedford Central Library in May 1986. It was originally part of the city’s Young People’s Library Service collection.
Employees at the Bedford Central Library, located in England, said that a member of the public, who was not the borrower, recently found the book at a house clearance and returned it 13,762 days after it was checked out.
Hadn’t the fees been waived, the original borrower would have been fined £4,816.70 in late fees, which amounts to more than $6,110 in U.S. dollars, according to the Bedford Independent, an online newspaper based in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.
“Getting this stranger back after nearly 40 years made our day! (It was actually an old school library book, so the fine wasn’t a fistful of dollars either!)” the Bedford Central Library wrote on Facebook
“We obviously get hundreds of books returned daily, but we did a double take with this one,” a library assistant named Anthony told the Independent.
“Despite being borrowed nearly 38 years ago, the book is actually in great condition so it’s heartwarming that a library book has been so well cared for, even if it was borrowed a little while ago.”
The unauthorized biography of the “Dirty Harry” star was written by British authors and published in London.
The library assistant emphasized how easy modern technology makes returning books.
“It’s now super easy to renew books so they don’t come back late,” Anthony explained. “Customers can use the library app or online catalog to manage their physical loans, or borrow eBooks and digital audiobooks that don’t need returning at all as they come off the app automatically.”
The assistant also said, “[t]here’s always a warm welcome at our libraries” – even for tardy patrons.
“Whether you’re a regular customer, or have not visited us since ‘Heartbreak Ridge’ was released, we’d love to see you,” he joked.