82-Year-Overdue Book Finally Returned to San Antonio Library

It was one of the most stressful things growing up, and honestly, that stress didn't go away as we grew up. We grew up stressed about checking out library books and making sure they were returned on time to avoid late fees. There wasn't a library in Texas that didn't charge those fees.

Part of it was so they could pick up a little extra money for operations, and the other piece was so they didn't have their entire catalog checked out and not returned. Well, there's always books that get lost or forgotten about, and this particular book in San Antonio has quite the story behind it.

What Book Got Checked Out

A book got checked out of the San Antonio Public Library back in July of 1943. The book was titled "Your Child, His Family, and Friends". Now, based on the title, we could probably get at least SOME kind of idea of what it's about.

Well, the San Antonio Public Library never saw that book again. It ran off into oblivion and never found its way home...until now.

Better Late Than Never, Right?

A person was recently going through their father's items after he passed away and stumbled upon the book. As they opened it up, they noticed the book came from the library. Well, rather than hang on to it, they decided to write a letter and send it back.

The library recently received it and was beyond grateful that the person even thought to send it back to them. The book was only 82 years or so late.

What Did The Letter Say

Obviously the writer of the letter couldn't explain why it never got returned, but they believe the book was checked out by their grandmother around the time their father was only 11 years old. They also went on to say they hoped there wouldn't be late fees. Good news, the library ditched late fees back in 2021.

The book is now on display at the San Antonio Public Library and will be sold at a used book store in the near future, with the proceeds from the book going back to the library.