A children's book checked out of a library 111 years ago has finally been returned - 40,000 days overdue.
The book, New Chronicles of Rebecca, was taken out of The Boise public library in Idaho, in the US, in 1910 before it was anonymously returned.
Tickets inside the book state a user will begin to incur fines of two cents per day if the book is not brought back within two weeks.
The book was first published in 1907 and tells the story of a life of a girl and her aunts and was later adapted to a musical in 1938 staring Shirley Temple.
Staff at the library said they did not instantly realise it was such a relic, but began researching its history after noticing it looked particularly old.
Anne Marie Martin told NBC affiliate KTVB of Boise: “The checkout desk noticed that it was rather old and it didn’t have any current markings, so they looked into it.
"It would be great if we could find out what happened, but that said, sometimes there are just mysteries in history."
After the Boise Public Library welcomed the book home, it was placed in its history room, where books can be browsed but not checked out and taken home by users.
Britain's most overdue library book was returned after an incredible 133 years.
The novel The Siege of Troy and The Wanderings of Ulysses by Charles Henry Hanson, was borrowed by Rusholme Hutton in 1883.
He took it home from his local library in 1883 but never returned it.
Forty five years ago it was handed down to his grandson Stephen Hutton, 73.
He said: “When my mum died in December 1971 there wasn’t a lot left. One of the things I did get was this book.
“I had always meant to do something about it and it was always my intention to give the book back.”
Eventually he posted the book to the library with a letter.
But council bosses agree to waive the £10,600 fine, much to the relief of the man who handed it in.
