Overdue library books are a part of life. But it’s rare that you find one that was returned after nearly four decades.
Fairfax County Public Library recently posted on its Facebook page that a copy of Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zio made its way back to the Chantilly Regional Library after 36 years.
Harry’s Long Journey
Dimitris Economou and his family recently discovered the book. “This book was checked out Nov. 6, 1989 by my parents who were diplomats based in DC at the time,” wrote Dimitris in the note he included with the book. “They are now retired in Greece and I found this book on their shelves. It traveled the world and was well taken care of as you can see. And now it can find its way home.”
The book was originally checked out by Aris and Marina Economou for Dimitris, who was 5 years old at the time. After moving out of the area in 1996, the book got lost in the shuffle and made the journey with the family as they moved from country to country — which includes stops in Syria, The Netherlands, and Japan — before making its final stop in Athens, Greece.
“I was reading it to my son, who is now seven years old,” said Dimitris. “As we got to the end, I realized it was a library book. … The moment I saw it, I felt like I had to return it. … It just felt like the right thing to do.”
Dimitris returned the book to the library over Thanksgiving weekend while visiting relatives in the area. As a fine-free library, Chantilly Regional accepted the book, and the copy of Harry the Dirty Dog has since been returned to the library’s shelves.
Feature image courtesy Dimitris Economou
