March 17 (UPI) -- A University of British Columbia graduate mailed a package to the school that turned out to be a book he had borrowed from the library 64 years earlier.
Susan Parker, a librarian at the university, said a package arrived in January and she opened it to discover a 1931 edition of Horace Kephart's book Camping and Woodcraft: Handbook for Vacation Campers and for Travelers in the Wilderness.
The book had been checked out of the library in 1960 by then-student Robert Murray.
"Most people return overdue books surreptitiously or anonymously," Parker said in a university news release. "I've never received one this long overdue."
The book was accompanied by a letter from Murray, now 83, along with a check for about $70.
Murray wrote that he had made good use of the tome over the years.
"I determined that this book was a treasure -- a light year ahead of anything published on the subject at the time I borrowed it, and it has remained so over anything I've seen published since," he wrote.
Murray's package also included a newspaper clipping from 2013 about a 1965 edition of the same book being returned to the Prince George Public Library after 30 years.
Parker said Murray took good care of the book.
"Although he returned it six decades late, he was an ideal library book caretaker," Parker said. "I've seen books deteriorated more that were loaned out for much shorter periods of time, and even found a book where they had clearly used a piece of bacon as a bookmark."
Parker said the book had long-since been removed from the library's system, but he money Murray sent to cover the late fee will be put to good use covering other outstanding library fines.
