A man returned a copy of Bob Dylan's "Self Portrait" album to an Ohio library - 48 years overdue.
Howard Simon, 14, borrowed a copy of the 1970 album from the University Heights library in the spring of 1973.
According to the library's Instagram account, Simon returned the copy this week - along with a note explaining why he took so long.
He wrote: "As a recent retiree, I am taking the opportunity to turn my attention to some of the many vignettes of life that by dint of career and family have been neglected these many years.
"In that context, I am returning with this letter an overdue item (by my count, approximately 17,480 days overdue as of this writing) that I borrowed from the library in the spring of 1973 when I was 14 and in eighth grade at Wiley."
"So it's quite late, and I'm quite sorry!"
The album cover is a little battered after traveling with Simon from University Heights to San Francisco with many stops in between, according to his letter - but the records themselves are in "great shape," according to the library.
Simon also gave the library a $175 replacement fee for "Self Portrait," as well as an album he recorded, "Western Reserve," for evaluation for inclusion in the library's collection.
"The funny thing about this is that we don't charge overdue fines anymore - as long as we get the item back we see no need to penalize people," library manager Sara Philips said. "We're grateful that Mr. Simon returned the record. I'd said we can now call it even."
In other news, a new Bob Dylan museum is scheduled to open in Oklahoma next year.
The Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa will open May 10 and will provide fans with the opportunity to "access and interact with more than 100,000 exclusive cultural treasures" from the acclaimed singer's archive.
