A copy of "Antiquities of Athens" borrowed from Kiama Library in the mid-1870s has been returned after 150 years, following its discovery in a tea chest hidden behind a boarded-up fireplace in a family home.
The book, published in 1858, bears the library's stamp and borrowing rules, which limited members to one volume at a time and fined late returns at three pence per week.
Library staff calculated the accumulated fine at £97, equivalent to about AU$28,000 today, but the council waived the penalty.
Ross Simmons, 77, identified the likely borrower as his great-grandfather, John Simmons, who worked as an apprentice stonemason on the Houses of Parliament in London between 1839 and 1844 before emigrating to Australia in 1857.
John Simmons later led construction of a sandstone church in Kiama and kept the book as a professional reference; it eventually was placed in a tea chest with other family records and concealed in a fireplace.
The chest was uncovered during renovations about 30 years ago, but Simmons only recently noticed the library stamp while sorting through the volumes.
Kiama Council libraries manager Michelle Hudson said the cloth-bound book, though water-damaged, remains in good condition with fold-out illustrations of Greek monuments.
The volume has been added to the library's special collection and will no longer circulate, ensuring it will not be borrowed again.
Book hidden in fireplace returned to Australian library 150 years overdue
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