An 1899 copy of The Early Work of Aubrey Beardsley, which was checked out of Worcester Public Library in 1973, was finally returned 51 years later.
Worcester Public Library/FacebookThe 1899 copy of The Early Work of Aubrey Beardsley that was loaned out in 1973.
In a surprising twist, a book that was loaned out in 1973 has finally returned to its original home at the Worcester Public Library in Massachusetts. The 1899 copy of The Early Work of Aubrey Beardsley arrived back at the library just recently, much to the surprise and delight of staff.
This latest development in the book’s story started when an unnamed individual brought it to the Cambridge Public Library last month. A librarian there recognized its significance and contacted Worcester Public Library, which had long since removed the book from its catalog. It’s not clear exactly where the book has been for the last 51 years — but its rediscovery serves as a reminder that it’s never too late to return something to the library.
‘The Early Work Of Aubrey Beardsley’
Worcester Public Library/FacebookThe loan slip showing the date the book was expected back at the library.
In 1973, someone checked out an 1899 copy of The Early Work of Aubrey Beardsley from the Worcester Public Library in Massachusetts.
Beardsley was a late 19th-century English author and illustrator best known for his erotic and grotesque Japanese-inspired black ink drawings. He died from tuberculosis at the age of 25 in 1898, a year before the collection was published. The book, which features a biography and 150 reprints of Beardsley’s best work, was due back to the library on May 22, 1973.
Public DomainA portrait of Aubrey Beardsley circa 1895.
It did not make it back on time.
“The book was borrowed in 1973, with a return date of May 22, 1973,” Alex London, the genealogy and local history librarian at the Worcester Public Library, stated in a Facebook post. London said that it was the most overdue book he had ever seen while employed at the library.
It’s unclear where the book has been for the past 51 years, but London noted that missing library books are often found when people are moving or cleaning out the homes of their recently deceased loved ones.
Perhaps this is how the book found its way back to Worcester Public Library after more than half a century.
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How The 19th-Century Book Finally Made Its Way Back To The Library
Worcester Public Library/FacebookA note from Kathy Penny, the manager of collection services at the Cambridge Public Library.
The book’s journey back to the library began with a phone call.
“I was contacted by a librarian at the Cambridge Public Library,” London told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. “Someone had come into the library with the book and they were able to save it from essentially being thrown away.”
So far, the library has not publicly named the person who originally checked out the library book or the person who brought it to the Cambridge Public Library. Additionally, updates to the library’s software since 1973 effectively removed the book from the catalog, making its disappearance undetectable.
At the library in Cambridge, Kathy Penny, the manager of collection services, uncovered the book’s origins and prepared it for transport back to its original home. When it arrived in Worcester, library employees marveled over how pristine it remained after so many years.
“It’s a rarity that someone found this,” London said. “But not only that they found it, but that it is in such good condition.”
Thankfully, the library no longer charges overdue fees, but it does send ample reminders to its patrons about unreturned books to prevent future mishaps like this one.
However, as the saying goes: Better late than never.
After reading about the library book that was 51 years overdue, dive into the true story of the Voynich Manuscript, the “world’s most mysterious book.” Then, read about the Book of Kells, the illustrated gospels often referred to as the “chief treasure of the Western world.”
