George Washington's library book returned 221 yrs late

Reuters ^ | May 20, 2010 | Belinda Goldsmith

[Pharmboy]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A library book borrowed by the first U.S. president, George Washington, has been returned to a New York City's oldest library, 221 years late.

Washington checked out the book from the New York Society Library at a time when the library shared a building with the federal government in lower Manhattan.

The library said in a statement that its borrowing records, or charging ledger, showed Washington took out "The Law of Nations" by Emer de Vattel on October 5, 1789.

The book was not returned, nor any overdue book fine paid -- with the overdue fee now calculated at about $300,000.

The missing book came to light when the New York Society Library was restoring its 1789-1792 charging ledger, But the missing book was kept secret for years until it became public recently in an article in The New York Daily News, the library said in a statement.snip

"A few days after learning of the situation, staff at Washington's home in Virginia, Mount Vernon, offered to replace Vattel's "Law of Nations" with another copy of the same edition," the library said in a statement.

[Pharmboy]

Knowing The General's character, I would imagine that this was supposed to be returned by one of his aide's but was never accomplished.

[Pharmboy]

Tip of the hat to SunkenCiv for alerting me via Freepmail to this article...

The Washington Family Crest

The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list...

[yarddog]

Did “Mr. Bookman” finally catch up with him?

[Paladin2]

I’d like to see the documentation of how this book was never taken out in the interim or never showed up on any inventory audit in the intervening years.

[devere]

I’m glad they didn’t put out an arrest warrant for Washington.

[dfwgator]

“Hey man, don’t Bundy that book!”

[Paladin2]

There has to be a statue of limitation on library fines - especially when they exceed the cost of replacement.

[digger48]

Maybe George loaned it to Helen Thomas?

[willieroe]

Must be a slow wire day for Reuters - like you, I see the publish date, but this story is more than a month old! (Also there were a number of threads on FR at the time.)

President George Washington racks up $300,000 late fee for two Manhattan library books

[Pharmboy]

No...the news here is that James Rees representing Washington’s Estate at Mount Vernon could not find the book but got a similar one for 12k and gave it back.

[saganite]

They could auction it off with the proceeds to go to the library. They might get several thousand dollars for it.

[willieroe]

Thank you - should have read more. (Now I can forget about this trivial event.)

[pissant]

interesting choice, eh?

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Don't mess around with Mr. Bookman!

[DoctorBulldog]

FYI Ping

[anonsquared]

This poses a real conundrum for Democrats. They have washed the nation’s public school textbooks of references to our Founding Fathers. Do they now put George Washington back in those textbooks just so they can put in a derogatory reference of him not returning a library book?

[grey_whiskers]

Like, *PING*, dudes and dude-ettes.

Is this book being found now just too coincidental, or is someone above looking out for the Republic?

Cheers!

[Pharmboy]

Interesting (tongue-in-cheek) point. The libs loved this story and offered no possible explanations for why this might have occurred. That’s why I did not bother posting any of the earlier stories about this...

[jackibutterfly]

...with the overdue fee now calculated at about $300,000. "

That's just stupid! Fees are not supposed to be more than the book actually costs.

[MamaTexan]

You're probably right.

Since Washington took the oath of office on April 30, 1789, I imagine he was rather busy being President.

It IS nice to know however, that the Law of Nations by Vattel seems to be gaining recognition as part of the foundation of the Republic....as well it should.

Hmmm. I wonder if the copy of Vattel that Washington got from the library was the same one given to Benjamin Franklin by Charles Dumas?

I am much obliged by the kind present you have made us of your edition of Vattel. It came to us in good season, when the circumstances of a rising state make it necessary frequently to consult the law of nations. Accordingly, that copy which I kept, (after depositing one in our own public library here, and sending the other to the college of Massachusetts Bay, as you directed has been continually in the hands of the members of our congress, now sitting, who are much pleased with your notes and preface, and have entertained a high and just esteem for their author. Your manuscript Idee sur le gouvernment et la royauté, is also well relished, and may, in time, have its effect. I thank you, likewise, for the other smaller pieces, which accompanied Vattel.
Benjamin Franklin To Charles-Guillaume-Frédéric Dumas, Philadelphia December 9, 1775.