A magazine checked out more than a century ago has finally found its way back to its original home after 132 years.
A magazine checked out more than a century ago has finally found its way back to its original home after 132 years. John Hanson, an 84-year-old resident of Barrington, New Hampshire, recently walked into the Concord Public Library and returned a September 1894 issue of The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine. The return came after the library announced a freeze on fines, prompting Hanson to finally bring back the 19th-century periodical that had been sitting around his home for decades.
The magazine was reportedly 48,220 days overdue. Had the library continued charging its usual fines, Hanson could have faced a bill of around Rs 11.5 lakh ($12,055).
Hanson said the magazine had been “hanging around” his house for decades, although he had absolutely no idea how it had ended up there.
The library had introduced the fine freeze hoping to encourage people to return long-overdue books without worrying about accumulated penalties. However, staff were hardly prepared for a piece of reading material dating back to the 19th century to suddenly turn up.
“We’ve witnessed many happy faces since announcing our fine freeze! Of course, we expected long overdue books to be returned, but certainly not something from the late 19th century!” the library said in a social media post.
“This September 1894 issue of “The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine” has been hanging around John’s house for decades. He has no idea how it ended up at his home, but upon seeing the fine freeze article in the Concord Monitor, he decided that it was time to return it to its original home!”
How Did The Magazine End Up With Hanson?
Hanson told NBC News that he first came across the magazine in 1966, when he was moving from Boscawen to Barrington. Even at the time, he had no clue how the century-old publication had made its way into his possession.
He said his parents did not have Concord Public Library cards either, making the magazine’s journey into his home even more mysterious.
“I don’t know, I really don’t know,” Hanson said. “So I don’t know if it’s something that I got as a gift that was given to me. Or did I pick this up from a pile of free books on the side of the road to read? I honestly don’t know.”
Hanson also recalled that his late wife, Carol, was an avid reader and frequently visited the public library. However, he said she would never have knowingly allowed a borrowed book or magazine to remain unchecked and forgotten for decades.