A book borrowed decades ago has been returned to the Helsinki Library after 84 years. The book, a Finnish translation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s historical novel “Refugees,” was received by librarian Heini Strand on Monday at the Helsinki Central Library Oodi.
“The due date of the loan was 26 December 1939,” Strand said, adding that she had never received a book so long overdue.
Generally, these kinds of long-overdue books are returned when the borrower passes away, and their relatives return the book decades later.
“People want to do the right thing and return the book that is the library’s property … I think that is lovely,” said Strand.
The library was unable to determine the relationship between the person who returned the book and the original borrower.
If you look through history books, you will find that in November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Finland, three months after the outbreak of World War II. The invasion ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peace Treaty on 13, March 1940.
A likely explanation for the delayed return is that the due date was a month after the Soviet Union invaded Finland, Strand noted.
“The return of the book might not have been the first thing on the borrower’s mind when the due date approached.”
The book by the British author is a historical novel published in 1893
The Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union (also known as the Russo-Finnish War) lasted until March 1940, when a peace treaty was signed, forcing Finland to make significant land cessions.
“If the person survived the war, they probably had other things on their mind than returning the book,” Strand said.
The book by the British author is a historical novel published in 1893 and set in 17th-century France.
According to Strand, the library may make the book, an edition published in 1925, available to the public again since it was received in such good condition.