46 years overdue: Woman returns book to Rehoboth Beach Library, escapes $1,687 fine

Lee Dunham was sorting through some old boxes from her grandparents' beach house on New Castle Street in Rehoboth when she came across a copy of the "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. 

Curious, she opened it. 

"I don't know why I looked at the inside cover but when I did, I saw that it was stamped 'Rehoboth Beach Public Library' and had a card inside that said it had been checked out in July of 1972," she said. 

So began — or should we say ended — a story spanning several decades on Delaware's sandy beaches. 

It starts with Dunham's father, Jim, who, in 1972, was working as a lifeguard in Rehoboth. He would have been 17, Dunham said, with floppy hair and a bright, winning smile. 

"I'm not sure if he was between his junior and senior year of high school or between his senior year and college," she said. "He went to Seaford High and then did his freshman year at Princeton." 

But she does think he's the one that checked out "Huck Finn" that July day.

What happened next was history. 

"My mom says that's the summer she met him so maybe that's why he lost interest in Huck Finn," Dunham said. 

What Dunham knows for sure is the book never got returned. Her father died in 2002, so she can't ask him why. 

What Lee could do is give the book back, which she did this weekend, putting it in the Rehoboth Beach Public Library's book drop with a little note apologizing for how late it was and explaining how she came by it. 

"I wasn't worried about getting hit with fees, she said cheekily. "It was checked out six years before I was born so I have an airtight alibi." 

It sat waiting for staff to find it Monday morning. Tyler Antoine, the program librarian, stumbled across the treasure while emptying the book drop and took it to his boss, library director Alison Miller. 

Stamped on the back page is the original due date — July 19, 1972 — making it exactly 16,875 days overdue.  

“It was before we even put barcodes on books," said Miller, who had no idea the book was even missing. 

In the 1970s, books were cataloged using paper cards, which were often stored in wooden drawers or storage cabinets. The library switched to a computer catalog in the late 1980s or early 1990s, and the missing book was likely given up as lost rather than being entered into the new system. 

Copyrighted in 1912, it was rebound at some point, but is in excellent condition, Miller said. 

Out of curiosity, she calculated the late fee — $1,687.50 — but did not charge Dunham. When books go missing, the library typically charges a replacement fee, which in this case would have been $5 or less. 

“Actually, the system blocks you if you bring something back that’s that overdue," Miller said. 

What happens next? 

"It's going back into their collection where it belongs, for other people to check out (finally)," said Dunham, who because of the book's discovery got to spend some time reminiscing about her dad and summers with him and her mom at the beach. 

The library got a kick out of the experience, too, Miller said 

“It really brought a smile to our faces on Monday," she said laughing. “This is what we really do. This is what we live for.”

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Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.