A Book Found Bricked in a Fireplace Returns to Australian Library After 150 Years

A Century and a Half Late Return

Qwenews.com – A book found bricked in a fireplace has finally made its way back to an Australian public library, completing a journey that began roughly 150 years ago. The volume on Greek antiquities arrived at the Kiama Library last week with visible water damage accumulated during its long imprisonment inside a sealed hearth. Local resident Ross Simmons discovered the treasure while renovating his home, finding it nestled inside a tea crate that had been bricked into the fireplace. Michelle Hudson, the library manager, expressed her delight at the discovery, noting that such an ancient return was unprecedented for their institution.

“We’ve never had anything that old come back to us,” Hudson shared with reporters on Thursday. She explained that while social media often reveals books returned after 30 or 40 years during estate cleanouts, this particular volume represented something far more extraordinary. The book found bricked in the fireplace represents a remarkable piece of local history that had been waiting patiently for its moment to return.

Tracing the Book’s Journey Through Time

Simmons believes the book was originally borrowed by his great-great-grandfather, John Simmons, who owned the cottage where the volume was discovered. “I’m making an assumption,” Simmons admitted, explaining that his ancestor lived in the cottage during the relevant period, though his children were likely too young to have borrowed the book themselves. The Kiama Library opened its doors in 1872, and the volume, titled “Antiquities of Athens,” was published in 1858. It carried the number 506 in the library’s original collection of approximately 1,000 volumes.

“Unfortunately, we have a missing link. There’s nothing in the book that tells us who the last borrower was,” Hudson said, highlighting the gap in their historical records.

Hudson theorizes that the book was lost within a few years of the library’s opening. The overdue fine, adjusted for inflation, would total approximately 28,000 Australian dollars, or about $19,500 in American currency. This calculation was based on the British three pence-a-week overdue fee printed on the inside cover, alongside a comprehensive list of rules that governed the library when it first opened.

Victorian Rules and Modern Revelations

The library’s 1870s regulations were quite strict, requiring borrowers to return books and settle any overdue debts before checking out another volume. “Maybe that’s why they never returned it to us,” Hudson mused, suggesting that a single missed return could have prevented all subsequent borrowing. Victorian-era rules also stipulated that households with at least six members who were “known to be able to read” could borrow up to three books simultaneously. Today, proof of reading ability is no longer necessary to access the library’s resources.

Interestingly, the book found bricked in a fireplace is not the only overdue volume to make headlines recently. Another library book was returned after being 100 years overdue in Minnesota. The Victorian rules also prohibited lending books to individuals who arrived at the library in a “state of intoxication.” While modern library users are asked to leave if their behavior disrupts others, the contemporary rules are less specific about intoxication than their historical counterparts.

Simmons, now 77 years old, expressed no concern about potentially facing an angry librarian over his family’s century-and-a-half-old debt. Drawing on his professional experience, he offered sage advice: “I’ve spent a lifetime dealing with irate customers and being irate with customers himself. Just stick to your guns and say do your worst.” The returned book will now be permanently displayed in the library’s local history collection. “We’re not going to allow it to go back out again. We don’t want to wait another 150 years for this book to be returned,” Hudson concluded, ensuring that this remarkable book found bricked in a fireplace will finally rest safely in its rightful home.