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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Overdue library book returned after 50 years | Overdue library book returned after 50 years |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Katie Holdstock, of Hull Central Library, with the copy of George Orwell's Road to Wigan Pier | Katie Holdstock, of Hull Central Library, with the copy of George Orwell's Road to Wigan Pier |
| A novel has been returned to a library 50 years past its due date by an embarrassed anonymous borrower. | A novel has been returned to a library 50 years past its due date by an embarrassed anonymous borrower. |
| The hard-backed copy of George Orwell's Road to Wigan Pier was supposed to be back at Hull's Central Library in 1974. | The hard-backed copy of George Orwell's Road to Wigan Pier was supposed to be back at Hull's Central Library in 1974. |
| Katie Holdstock, from the city's libraries service, said the book would not be put back on the shelves as it was not in good enough condition to lend. | Katie Holdstock, from the city's libraries service, said the book would not be put back on the shelves as it was not in good enough condition to lend. |
| The mystery reader did not have to pay a fine as the council said it stopped issuing financial penalties during the Covid pandemic. | The mystery reader did not have to pay a fine as the council said it stopped issuing financial penalties during the Covid pandemic. |
| Mrs Holdstock, the library's team leader, said the novel had a particular smell: "That musty odour is just what you get in our library stacks – where we keep old books that aren't on our public shelves, in case anyone requests one!" | Mrs Holdstock, the library's team leader, said the novel had a particular smell: "That musty odour is just what you get in our library stacks – where we keep old books that aren't on our public shelves, in case anyone requests one!" |
| She added readers were allowed to take out seven books per ticket in 1974. | She added readers were allowed to take out seven books per ticket in 1974. |
| "And in those days, there were fines for late returns – and there's some strict wording stamped inside the book to remind users of that," she added. | "And in those days, there were fines for late returns – and there's some strict wording stamped inside the book to remind users of that," she added. |
| "We waived library fines in the pandemic and never brought them back in again. We want there to be as few barriers as possible to customers using our libraries." | |
| The service said it had changed its offering over the past 50 years, from streetdance and live music to 3D printing and gaming. | The service said it had changed its offering over the past 50 years, from streetdance and live music to 3D printing and gaming. |
| "It's not just about reading – and we certainly don't 'shush' anyone", said Mrs Holdstock. | "It's not just about reading – and we certainly don't 'shush' anyone", said Mrs Holdstock. |
| The Road to Wigan Pier was published in 1937 and was Orwell's two-part sociological commentary, firstly looking at the working classes in the pre-war North of England and then recounting his own middle-class upbringing and the development of his political way of thinking. | The Road to Wigan Pier was published in 1937 and was Orwell's two-part sociological commentary, firstly looking at the working classes in the pre-war North of England and then recounting his own middle-class upbringing and the development of his political way of thinking. |
| Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here, external. | Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here, external. |