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Late return: cookbook plus £ 20 and apology letter
Photo: Macdonald Media / dpa
Surprising mail: a library in Paisley, Scotland received a cookbook - more than 50 years after it was picked up from there.
Together with a 20-pound note and a letter of apology because the return was so long overdue, someone had sent it anonymously to the Paisley Central Library, as reported by the PA news agency. "I was more than a little surprised when I opened the padded envelope and saw what was inside," said Linda Flynn of the Daily Record tabloid lending library. It is rare for a book to be returned after it has been so many years overdue.
The book called "Mrs. Balbir Singh's Indian Cookery" is said to have been loaned in 1968.
However, it is unclear who took it home back then.
"You can tell the book has been used a lot, and a few marks on the pages suggest someone made some good dinners with it," Flynn said.
The book is unfortunately not in a state "in which we can put it back on our shelves," Flynn reported to the Daily Record.
However, it is kept in a "safe place".
Since the library does not currently charge any fees for books that are handed in too late, the 20 pounds will be donated to a good cause.
bbr / dpa
