<p>Some 130 years after her grandfather borrowed a book from his school library, a woman in the UK has returned it with an apology letter, saying "your former pupil appears to have stolen" it.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Alice Gillett, 77, came across a copy of 'The Microscope and its Revelations' written by Dr William B Carpenter, while clearing through her late husband's possessions from Taunton, Somerset in England, a media letter said today.<br /><br />While turning the pages of the 1,000-page book, she discovered a date stamp showing it was borrowed from the library of Hereford Cathedral School in 1886, Metro.co.uk reported.<br /><br />It had been loaned to her grandfather Professor Arthur Boycott who attended the school between 1886 and 1894. He was a distinguished naturalist and pathologist, the report said.<br />Gillett returned the book to the school along with an apology letter.<br /><br />"I am sorry to inform you that one of your former pupils, Professor A E Boycott appears to have stolen the enclosed – I can't imagine how the school has managed without it!," she wrote in the letter.<br /><br />The school does not charge for overdue books but if they had, Gillett could have been landed with a bill of 7,446 pounds (USD 9,463) – based on a 17p-a-day charge at most libraries, the report said.<br /><br />Gillett said, "As a child, he (Boycott) took great interest in natural history, and his particular passion was snails. At age 15, he published his first paper listing the snail species that could be found in Herefordshire".<br /><br />He also had a fascination with fauna and flora made him quite a hazardous driver because he was so obsessed with observing the hedgerows, she said.<br /><br />"My grandmother said he always had snails in his pockets," she said.<br />Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the school said, "We are delighted to be reunited with the book and are pleased it is still in such good condition". <br /></p>
<p>Some 130 years after her grandfather borrowed a book from his school library, a woman in the UK has returned it with an apology letter, saying "your former pupil appears to have stolen" it.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Alice Gillett, 77, came across a copy of 'The Microscope and its Revelations' written by Dr William B Carpenter, while clearing through her late husband's possessions from Taunton, Somerset in England, a media letter said today.<br /><br />While turning the pages of the 1,000-page book, she discovered a date stamp showing it was borrowed from the library of Hereford Cathedral School in 1886, Metro.co.uk reported.<br /><br />It had been loaned to her grandfather Professor Arthur Boycott who attended the school between 1886 and 1894. He was a distinguished naturalist and pathologist, the report said.<br />Gillett returned the book to the school along with an apology letter.<br /><br />"I am sorry to inform you that one of your former pupils, Professor A E Boycott appears to have stolen the enclosed – I can't imagine how the school has managed without it!," she wrote in the letter.<br /><br />The school does not charge for overdue books but if they had, Gillett could have been landed with a bill of 7,446 pounds (USD 9,463) – based on a 17p-a-day charge at most libraries, the report said.<br /><br />Gillett said, "As a child, he (Boycott) took great interest in natural history, and his particular passion was snails. At age 15, he published his first paper listing the snail species that could be found in Herefordshire".<br /><br />He also had a fascination with fauna and flora made him quite a hazardous driver because he was so obsessed with observing the hedgerows, she said.<br /><br />"My grandmother said he always had snails in his pockets," she said.<br />Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the school said, "We are delighted to be reunited with the book and are pleased it is still in such good condition". <br /></p>