An Edgewood, B.C., man who returned a library book 64 years late said he kept it because it was “gold,” and likely even saved his life on one occasion.
Robert Murray took out the book, “Camping and Woodcraft: A Handbook for Vacation Campers and Travelers in the Wilderness,” during the spring of 1960, when he was an undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia’s electrical engineering program.
Murray said the book, originally written by Horace Kephart in 1906, was far superior to other wilderness guides he’d read.
“I picked this one up, and it was gold, absolutely every page, and it remained so in my eyes, still does,” he told The Epoch Times in an interview.
Murray, who is now 83 years old, finally returned the book to the University of British Columbia library in January, with a $100 cheque intended to cover overdue fees, along with a letter of apology.
Librarian Susan Parker said she was quite surprised to receive the book after six decades, making it the longest-overdue book ever returned in the library’s history.
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“It’s rare for books to go missing for long periods of time to be returned, and a return after 63 years is certainly a new record for us,” she wrote in a UBC News article.
The library has not charged any overdue fees since 2020, but Parker said the money will be kept as a donation to cover backlogged fines.
She also said the book would be returned to the library’s circulation so other users can enjoy it.
Murray said the book proved especially useful on a hiking trip with his son in the the B.C. Interior about 30 years ago.
A rainstorm hit as they were exploring a mountainous area in early summer. The rain was worse than anything he had seen before, and he and his son got “utterly soaked,” Murray recounted. They also ended up lost after a compass malfunction, failing to find the trail they needed to get home.
The pair decided to set up camp, and his son wanted to set up a tent, but Murray said he learned from the guide that a tent is not advisable in the rain.
Murray said the book had recommended a lean-to shelter for the weather conditions.
They started a fire and built the shelter but Murray said he saw his son was still shivering.
“I wasn’t too badly off because I was wearing a poncho over everything with wool pants,” Murray said. “But my son, he was wearing jeans.”
Remembering tips from Kephart’s book, Murray told his son he needed to remove his damp clothes.
“He just looked at me aghast,” said Murray.
He told his son that the water in his clothes was stealing precious body heat and suggested he would warm up faster if he took his clothing off and hung it up to dry.
About an hour later his son was dry, reading a book by the fire and eating stew they had prepared, Murray said.
“A few years later, my son then mentioned that small tents were no good in the rain, and I asked, ‘Who taught you that?’ He said, ‘You did!’” Murray said.
Murray said the book has been republished, and he’s since ordered a brand-new copy of his own.
