When Mary Cooper downsized her home, she brought boxes of her late mother’s belongings with her. While sorting through them after the move, Cooper, 81, stumbled upon an unexpected find — a library book that was 99 years overdue.
“I was going through the books and came across one about building toys for boys and girls,” Cooper, who lives in Berkeley Township, New Jersey, recalled. “I thought, ‘That’s a neat book. Maybe my son would like it — he loves to build things.’”
However, Cooper’s son wasn’t the only one interested in craftsmanship. Her grandfather, Charles Tilton, who had originally borrowed the book, was a boatwright and carpenter.
When Cooper opened the book Home-Made Toys for Girls and Boys by A. Neely Hall, she discovered that it had been checked out in March 1926 from the Ocean County Library system in New Jersey — the year before her grandfather, Tilton, passed away.
The book, first published in 1911, contains illustrated instructions for creating simple toys using wood, metal, and common household items.
“He had a little girl, my mom. I thought he might have wanted to build her some toys,” Cooper explained.
Although Cooper never knew her grandfather personally, as he passed away before she was born, her mother frequently shared stories about him. She recalls her mother telling her that Tilton had built her toy wooden sailboats, which Cooper later donated to the Bay Head Historical Society in New Jersey.
When Cooper discovered the book, she felt it was finally time to return it.
“I thought, I don’t have grandchildren, and my kids are getting older. Even if my son kept it, I wasn’t sure what they’d do with it,” Cooper said. “I decided it really belongs to the library.”
When Cooper walked into the Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library, she wasn’t sure what to expect, but she hoped they would be interested in taking the book back. She never imagined the excitement it would generate, especially with the library system’s centennial approaching in September.
Cooper was also concerned the library might charge her a late fee, which staff humorously estimated would amount to $18,000 if they still imposed fines.
“I said, ‘I think you should take a look at this book.’ So, the staff member took it,” Cooper recalled. “Then she exclaimed, ‘Oh my God, this book is almost 100 years old.’ She told me, ‘Don’t move. Don’t go anywhere.’”
Sherri Taliercio, the Ocean County Library spokesperson, commented, “What a serendipitous moment, that during our 100th year, this book was returned.” She added, “It really feels like divine intervention.”
Cooper spent the next few hours exploring her grandfather’s family records and flipping through the book with library staff.
At one point, they came across an image of a boat in the book — the same toy boat her grandfather had made for his daughter, which Cooper had donated to the historical society.
She believes that connection is why her mother kept the book for so long.
“At least 10 people came over to see and touch the book,” Cooper said, including the library’s janitor.
Now, the book is displayed for the public to view along with other mementos, safely kept in a locked case at the Toms River library.
“It’s finally home, where it belongs, for years to come,” Taliercio said.