Book is returned to library after 122 years

Staff at an Australian library were left stunned after a Charles Darwin book was returned 122 years late.

The stamp inside the first edition copy of the 'Insectivorous Plants' tome revealed it had originally been borrowed on January 30, 1889, before being lost to a private collection for 50 years.

When it was eventually passed on to a local university, the book was returned to its rightful owners.

Linda Campbell, manager of community services at Sydney's Camden Library, was thrilled to have the tome back within her care.

She said: "It has obviously had an interesting journey in that time from what we can tell it ended up in the private collection of an elderly gentleman who gave it to the University of Sydney Farms library when he moved out of the area.

"They saw the stamp in it and sent it to us and we were absolutely thrilled, here's this fantastic aged book that can go back into our collection."

The book will now be preserved within the library.