Car repair manual returned to Minnesota library 47 years late

Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A Minnesota library said a car repair manual checked out in 1975 was anonymously returned along with an apologetic letter.

The Washington County Library System said in a Facebook post that the book, Chilton's Foreign Car Repair Manual: German, Swedish, Italian Cars, Vol. 1, arrived recently via mail at the Lake Elmo Library.

An unsigned letter included with the package explained the borrower had checked the book out to help with a Mercedes Benz repair project in the mid-1970s.

The letter explained the former patron had forgotten to return the book before moving away from Lake Elmo a few months later.

The letter said the borrower found the book in a trunk 47 years later, along with other items they hadn't seen since the 1970s.

"It's a little overdue, but I thought you might want it back," the letter reads. "My apologies to anyone in Lake Elmo who was working on an old Benz in the last 47 years."

The post said the library is just happy to have the book back.

"The writer was also concerned about any overdue fees, but since we don't charge those, it's no problem," officials wrote.