Overdue library books returned 50 years late

Two books have been returned to a library almost 50 years past their due date after being spotted in a charity shop 60 miles away.

The books, which were found in Beverley earlier this week, were due to be returned to Leeds Central Library on 22 March 1976.

It is not known who last borrowed them, but Leeds City Council scrapped fines for late returns in 2019, meaning they would have avoided a potentially hefty penalty.

The books themselves were both 1836 works about fossils, written by geologist Reverend William Buckland.

They featured detailed drawings of various ancient fossils and prehistoric creatures, whose origins were beginning to be studied and understood by scientists at the time.

After discovering the texts, staff at the charity shop swiftly contacted the library before the books were sent home to Leeds.

They are now being assessed and condition checked by experts before they are returned to the library's special collections.

Sally Hughes, librarian at Leeds Central Library, said: "It was a huge surprise to find out that these beautiful books had somehow turned up in such an unlikely place after all these years and we're delighted to have them back home at the library, even if they are half a century late.

"We'll never know who it was who borrowed them and why, but it speaks volumes about how interesting and influential Reverend Buckland's observations were that enthusiasts were clearly still keen to read them more than a century after they were written."

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