The Phillipsburg Free Public Library in Phillipsburg, N.J. loaned out the Jules Verne book Dropped from the Clouds sometime in late December 1966, with a due date of January 5, 1967.
Apparently, Jules Verne was a hotter read than you thought, because it was only returned anonymously to the library last week, after being overdue more than fifty years.
The library charges a late fee of 10 cents a day. The multiple decades late fee results in a total of $1,800, which the library says they'll cap at $3 if the person who dropped off the book comes forward with their story.
Library director Deb Messling told Lehigh Valley Live that the book was in rough shape, though. "It looks like someone loved it for a long time," she said. "Hopefully it did some good out in the world."
If you're scratching your head as to how you've never heard of this book, you're not alone. Apparently 99.9% of the American population hasn't either, as it has only one review on Amazon.
It costs $7.95 on Amazon, though. But I hear you can borrow it from The Phillipsburg Free Public Library for fifty years and only pay $3.
Savings, people.
