A North Dakota library recently received a surprise when a copy of “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier was returned 51 years past its due date. The book was anonymously mailed back to the Enderlin Municipal Library without a return address. Upon inspection, it was found that the book was originally due on October 6, 1973.
Calculating the overdue period revealed that the book was 18,783 days late. Based on a standard late fee of 10 cents per day, the total fine would have been $1,878.30. However, the library had recently eliminated late fees, so no payment was required for the overdue return.
Interestingly, the anonymous sender included a $20 bill with the book. The librarian noted that technically, the library now owed the sender $20 due to the waived fees.