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Book Returned to Australian Library After 150 Years, Late Fee Totals $28,400
🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Book Returned to Australian Library After 150 Years, Late Fee Totals $28,400

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Outcome reported
  • A book titled "Antiquities of Athens," borrowed around 150 years ago, has been returned to a library in Kiama, Australia.
  • The resident who returned the book discovered it in a sealed fireplace box during a home renovation.
  • The estimated late fee, calculated with inflation, amounts to approximately $28,400, though it will not be charged.

A remarkable piece of literary history has resurfaced in Kiama, Australia, with the return of a book borrowed approximately 150 years ago. The volume, "Antiquities of Athens," was returned to the local public library, which first acquired it in 1872.

The book was discovered by a local resident, Ross Simmons, 77, who found it tucked away in a sealed fireplace box while renovating his home. Simmons believes his great-grandfather was the original borrower of the 1858-published book.

Calculating the potential late fee based on the library's opening-day regulations and accounting for inflation, the amount could reach an astonishing 28,000 Australian dollars (approximately $28,400). However, due to the loss of borrower records from the 1870s, the library has decided not to impose the fee. The returned book is slated for display in the library's local history collection.

This book will not be lent out again. We don't want to wait another 150 years for it to be returned.

— Library DirectorThe library director's statement on the book's return and future display.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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