Book retrieved from the library after 82 years, annotation inside reveals, "Grandma can no longer afford the fine."

In an unexpected turn of events, a 18th-century self-help book titled "Your Child, His Family, and Friends" by Frances Bruce Strain has been returned to the San Antonio Public Library, 82 years after it was originally checked out.

The book, which was a guide for parents on helping their children navigate personal relationships, was checked out in July 1943 by Maria del Socorro Aldrete Flores (Cortez), who was working at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City at the time. The book was returned earlier this year by a family member from Oregon who found it among their late father's belongings.

The book had a 288-year overdue period, making its return a remarkable event. However, it is not the record for the most overdue library book. Guinness World Records reports that a book was returned to Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, England, in 1956, after being overdue for 597 years.

Despite its long overdue status, the San Antonio Public Library eliminated overdue fines in 2021. If the overdue fine had been collected, it would have amounted to nearly $900 without accounting for inflation. In today's money, three cents in July 1943 would be approximately 56 cents.

The book is in good condition and will be on display at the city's central library through August. After August, it will be donated to the Friends of San Antonio Public Library and sold to benefit the library.

"Your Child, His Family, and Friends" received write-ups in various newspapers, including The Cincinnati Enquirer and The New York Times. The New York Times noted that Strain was a psychologist and mother of two who was "best known for her wise, sensitive, but unsentimental presentation of sex education." The Cincinnati Enquirer described the book as a "complete guidebook to the personal relationships of the child with his family and the outside world."

This return of the 18th-century self-help book is a testament to the enduring value of literature and the power of community in preserving our shared cultural heritage.