Man Returns Book to Michigan Library 76 Years after Due Date

MT. CLEMENS, Mich. (WJBK) - An Arizona man finally returned a book he checked out of a Macomb County library nearly 76 years ago. But instead of a monster late fee, he'll be rewarded for his action.

Mark McKee was just 13 years old in 1934 when he checked out a copy of A Dog of Flanders from the Mt. Clemens library.

The novel, written in 1872 by Marie Louise de la Ramée , tells the tale of a young orphaned boy and his dog who endure tough times together before tragically dying on Christmas Eve. The story was so touching that McKee kept it close by his side for over seven decades before finally returning it along with a letter this month.

"I figure the fine for this book at 10 cents a day for 76 years, would be $2,774.00," McKee wrote in the letter. "As I am an old senior citizen on a fixed income, I can only throw myself upon the mercy of the library!"

McKee, who spent time in Michigan as publisher of the Macomb Daily , told FOX 2's Simon Shayket that his conscience got the best of him and drove him to return the book, which was originally due on May 24, 1934.

"We do get long overdue materials returned from time-to-time, but in my experience we've never had anything 76 years old," said Debra Larsen, Assistant Library Director.

Larsen says the library will not put the copy back into circulation. As for the late fee, library officials have decided to waive the penalty and instead offer McKee a new version of the book for only $8.99.