Published 29 May 2025
A book which disappeared after being checked out from Faifley Library in 2012 has turned up over 1100 miles away.
Literature or Life by Jorge Semprun was last borrowed 13 years ago from the West Dunbartonshire library.
So staff at Faifley were left stunned when they opened a package finding the book accompanied by a letter from the Royal Danish Library in Aarhus saying it had been discovered during a clear up in one of their libraries.
It is a mystery as to how the book ended up so far away but it has now rejoined the collection at Faifley.
Unfortunately there is no way of tracing the person who last borrowed the book as a new library management system has been installed - so how it came to be in Denmark is likely to remain a mystery.
Convener of Corporate Services, Councillor William Rooney said: “This is a fun tale of generosity from the Royal Danish Library in Aarhus with staff there going out of their way to repatriate the book. They certainly deserve a big thanks for doing so.
“It sparks curiosity to think about how the book ended up in Denmark and whether it even visited other countries on its travels.”
Vice Convener of Corporate Services, Councillor Lawrence O’Neill said: “What an unexpected surprise for staff at Faifley Library to receive this package with a book that had been missing for such a long time.”