underneath the lintel | overdue library books

UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL is kicked off by the return of a library book 113 years past due.  One of our patrons came across this anecdote about a library book held for even longer by none other than George Washington:

Two notable copies of The Law of Nations owned by the New York Society Library have been associated with US President George Washington. One copy had been borrowed by Washington on 8 October 1789, along with a copy of Vol. 12 of the Commons Debates, containing transcripts from Great Britain's House of Commons. When the staff of the Washington museum at Mount Vernon heard about the overdue books, they were unable to locate them, but purchased a second copy of the de Vattel work for US$12,000. This identical copy was ceremoniously "returned" 221 years late on 20 May 2010. The library waived the unpaid late-fees.
-From the Wikipedia page on Emer de Vattel