Library Book Returned 36 Years Late After Global Journey

Dimitris Economou was looking for a bedtime story for his 7-year-old son when he stumbled upon a familiar book at his parents' home in Greece. As he finished reading "Harry the Dirty Dog" to his son, he noticed something that made his heart skip: a library stamp from Chantilly Regional Library in Virginia, due November 6, 1989.

Economou was 5 years old when his parents checked out the beloved children's book. His family, diplomats based in Washington D.C. at the time, moved back to Greece seven years later and took the book along for the ride.

Over the next three decades, the story about a dog who runs away to avoid bath time became an accidental world traveler. Economou's father carried it through assignments in Syria, Japan, and the Netherlands before finally settling back in Greece.

"I felt like I had to return it," Economou told Northern Virginia magazine. "It just felt like the right thing to do."

During a holiday visit to northern Virginia, Economou made a special trip to return the book. He told the Washington Post he would have happily paid any late fees to support the library, even though Fairfax County Public Library stopped charging them years ago.

Sunny's Take

Branch manager Ingrid Bowers was there when Economou returned the book. She says the gesture shows how much people truly care about library resources and keeping their promises, even 36 years later.

The library's Facebook post celebrating the return struck a chord with readers who remembered their own forgotten library books. Some shared stories of books they still feel guilty about, while others were inspired to dig through their own bookshelves.

While 36 years seems like a long time, some library books have waited even longer to come home. A San Antonio library received a book back after 82 years in 2024, and a German text returned to Cambridge University after nearly 300 years.

Harry finally made it home, proving that it's never too late to do the right thing.