Pensioner escapes £7,500 fine after returning grandfather’s school library book 120 YEARS after it was due after she found it gathering dust on shelf
Luckily the school does not charge for library books but it could have worked out 17p for every day since 1886
A PENSIONER has escaped a massive £7,500 fine after she found her grandfather's school library book sitting on a shelf - which was 120 YEARS overdue.
Alice Gillett, 77, stumbled across 'The Microscope and its Revelations' by Dr William B Carpenter, while clearing through her late husband's possessions.
A date stamp showed it had been borrowed from the library of Hereford Cathedral School in 1886.
It had been loaned to Mrs Gillett's grandfather, Professor Arthur Boycott, who attended the school between 1886 and 1894.
Mrs Gillett, from Taunton, Somerset, has now returned the book to the school along with a letter apologising for her grandfather "stealing" it from their collection.
She wrote: "I am sorry to inform you that one of your former pupils, Professor A.E.Boycott appears to have stolen the enclosed - I can't imagine how the school has managed without it!"
Luckily the school does not charge for overdue books but if they had, Mrs Gillett could have been landed with a bill of £7,446 - based on a 17p-a-day charge at most libraries.
Prof Boycott eventually graduated with first class honours in Natural Science, and became a distinguished naturalist and pathologist.
RELATED STORIES
Mrs Gillett learned he was obsessed with snails, always carrying one in his pocket, and published his first paper aged 15 listing all the species in Herefordshire.
"He also had a fascination with fauna and flora made him quite a hazardous driver because he was so obsessed with observing the hedgerows," she added.
A school spokesperson said: "We are delighted to be reunited with the book and are pleased it is still in such good condition."
The book's return comes a year after a rare wooden sculpture - known as 'The Flame' - was given back to the school after it was stolen as a prank 60 years ago.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368