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Ross Simmons Returns 150-Year-Old Overdue Book to Kiama Library

Ross Simmons returned a book to the Kiama Library in Australia after it was missing for approximately 150 years. The book, titled "Antiquities of Athens," was published in 1858 and was found by Simmons during home renovations inside a tea crate bricked into a fireplace. Library manager Michelle Hudson noted that the book was part of the library's original collection of 1,000 books when it opened in 1872. While the library's records from that era are lost, Hudson estimates the book was lost shortly after the library opened. The late return fine, calculated based on 1870s rules, would amount to roughly $19,500 USD when adjusted for inflation. Simmons believes his great-great-grandfather, John Simmons, was the original borrower. To ensure the book is not lost for another century and a half, Hudson announced that it will be kept in the local history collection and will no longer be available for loan.

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