It was over two centuries late, but a copy of a library book George Washington borrowed was returned in May 2010 to a New York library. The former president borrowed The Law of Nations by Emer de Vattel on 5 October 1789, according to the records of the New York Society Library.George-Washington-library-book-returned
Staff discovered it was missing when they conducted an inventory of books in the library’s 1789-1792 ledger early 2010. Washington had never returned the book – an essay on international affairs – to the library, which shared a building with the federal government at the time and was used by members of Congress and the cabinet as well as the president. The former president’s overdue fines, it was calculated, would theoretically amount to $300,000.
After staff at Mount Vernon, Washington’s former home in Virginia, learned of the situation, they got in touch with the library – New York’s oldest – offering to replace the book with another copy of the same edition. There was even a ceremony that saw Mount Vernon staff present the book to the library. Two hundred and twenty-one years later, The Law of Nations had finally come home, with – fortunately for Mount Vernon’s coffers – no mention made of the fine.
Staff discovered it was missing when they conducted an inventory of books in the library’s 1789-1792 ledger early 2010. Washington had never returned the book – an essay on international affairs – to the library, which shared a building with the federal government at the time and was used by members of Congress and the cabinet as well as the president. The former president’s overdue fines, it was calculated, would theoretically amount to $300,000.
After staff at Mount Vernon, Washington’s former home in Virginia, learned of the situation, they got in touch with the library – New York’s oldest – offering to replace the book with another copy of the same edition. There was even a ceremony that saw Mount Vernon staff present the book to the library. Two hundred and twenty-one years later, The Law of Nations had finally come home, with – fortunately for Mount Vernon’s coffers – no mention made of the fine.
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