Found behind a fireplace: Library book returned 150 years late

A routine home renovation in Australia has solved a mystery that puzzled librarians for more than a century.

A copy of Antiquities of Athens, published in 1858, has been returned to the Kiama Library in New South Wales after spending an estimated 150 years hidden inside a sealed fireplace. The book was discovered during renovation work when homeowner Ross Simmons found it inside a tea crate that had been bricked into the chimney.

The library believes the book was borrowed not long after it first opened in 1872. Simmons suspects it may have belonged to his great-great-grandfather, who lived in the house during that period, although lending records from the era no longer exist, making it impossible to identify the last borrower.

Despite decades hidden behind masonry, the book survived with only minor water damage.

Library manager Michelle Hudson said it was the oldest overdue return the library had ever received.

"We've never had anything that old come back to us," she said.

The Victorian-era borrowing rules printed inside the cover required patrons to return one book before borrowing another and imposed an overdue fine of three pence a week. Adjusted for inflation, the late fee would amount to roughly A$28,000 (about US$19,500) today, although the library no longer charges overdue fines.

Rather than returning to circulation, the historic volume will become part of Kiama Library's local history collection.