In the United States, a woman returned a book to the library after a hundred years and avoided an $18,000 fine.
12 March 2025 10:02
In the United States, 81-year-old Mary Cooper returned to the library a book that her grandfather borrowed 99 years ago. The woman found the book among her late mother’s belongings after moving, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports citing CNN.
Cooper, who lives in Berkeley Township, New Jersey, was going through old books when she came across Home-Made Toys for Girls and Boys by A. Neely Hall. The book was published in 1911 and contains illustrated instructions for creating toys from wood, metal, and scrap materials. The woman noticed that the book was borrowed from the library in March 1926.
As it turned out, the book was borrowed by her grandfather , Charles Tilton, who worked as a carpenter and boat builder. At the time, he had a young daughter, Cooper’s mother, and he probably wanted to make toys for her with his own hands. Cooper recalled that her mother often talked about her father and the wooden sailboats he made for her. These toy boats were later donated to the Bay Head Historical Society in New Jersey.
When Cooper found the book, she decided to return it to the Ocean County Library because she had no one to give it to.
“I thought, ‘I don’t have any grandchildren, and my children are grown. Even if my son took it, I don’t know what they would do with it. I decided that this book belongs in a library,”
– she said.
When she went to the Toms River branch of the library, she didn’t know what the reaction would be, but she hoped the book would be accepted. The librarian was amazed and exclaimed:
“Oh my God, this book is almost 100 years old!”
She asked Cooper to stay to discuss the discovery with the management.
According to library spokeswoman Sherry Tagliercio, the book’s return was a real gift for the Ocean County Library System’s 100th anniversary, which will be celebrated this September.
“This is just divine intervention!”
– she said.
The library noted that in 99 years, the fine for overdue fees could have reached $18,000 if fines were still in effect. However, there were no sanctions for Cooper.
Over the next few hours, the librarians spent time with Cooper looking through the book and studying her family’s archival documents. She noticed that on one of the pages was a picture of a boat, just like the one her grandfather had made for his daughter.
The book was placed in a special glassed-in display case along with other historical artifacts, and now it is part of the Toms River Library’s exhibit.
“It has finally found its place, where it will remain for many years to come,”
– Tagliercio concluded.
