'Catcher in the Rye' returned to Manitoba library 33 years late

A copy of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye was returned to a Manitoba library more than 33 years after its due date.

Jennifer Walton said she and her husband were doing some spring cleaning when she came across a box of books that contained the tome she had checked out from the St. Vital Library when she was a college student at Glenlawn College in the late 1980s.

Librarians at the Winnipeg Public Library initially thought the book had been due back in 1999, due to the unclear stamp, but Walton confirmed the due date had actually been Nov. 10, 1989, making it more than 33 years overdue.

"I was a little horrified that it was this late," Walton told CBC News.

She delivered the book in person along with some "chocolates of contrition" for library staff.

Barbara Bourrier-Lacroix, administrative coordinator of collections and borrower services at the Winnipeg Public Library, said the book was in excellent condition.

"I was surprised at what good shape it was in, but I guess that's what happens when it sits in a box for 33 years," she said.

Walton was not fined for her late return, as the library did away with late fees in 2021.