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In the US state of New Jersey, 81-year-old Mary Cooper returned to the library a book that her grandfather borrowed 99 years ago.
About this reported the CNN.
The woman came across this rarity during a move, when she was transporting her mother's belongings.
I was looking through books and found one about making toys for boys and girls. I thought, ‘This is a great book. Maybe my son, who loves to work with his hands, would like this,’” Cooper recalls.
But when she opened the book, she realized it was due back nearly a century ago. It turned out that Mary’s grandfather had lent it to her in March 1926, a year before he died. The edition, published in 1911, contained instructions for making toys from wood, metal, and household items. It was a perfect match for Grandpa Cooper’s interests, who was a carpenter and boatman.
"He had a little daughter, my mother. I thought he wanted to make some toys for her," the woman shared.
Mary Cooper admitted that she had never seen her grandfather, as he had died before she was born. But her mother remembered the wooden sailboats that her father had given her. These boats were later donated to the local historical society. Realizing that the book belonged to the library, the woman decided to return it to the same institution from which her grandfather had borrowed it. The librarians jokingly estimated that if they still charged fines for overdue payments, the amount would have reached $18.
"An amazing thing happened - this book was returned in the year of our 100th anniversary," said Sherry Tagliercio, a representative of the institution.
Cooper and the librarians were looking through the pages of the over a century-old edition. On one of them, they came across a picture of a toy boat - the same one her mother had once received from her father. The woman assumed that it was because of this memory that her mother kept the book for so many years. Now the rare edition is on display for visitors to the library.
"After so many years, she is finally home," concluded Tallercio.
