When a well-preserved library book arrived in the mail at Cornell University Library this year, it came with a remarkable distinction: it had been due back in the 1970’s.
The book, In Spite of: A Philosophy for Everyman by John Cowper Powys, had accompanied its borrower through decades of life, travel, and reflection before finally making its way home to the library shelves. The borrower was Hank Webb, M.P.S. ’74, a retired United States diplomat whose long career took him around the world but never far from the lessons he first encountered as a Cornell student.
For Webb, the return of the book was more than the resolution of a very overdue checkout. It was an opportunity to reflect on the enduring influence of a book that helped shape his outlook on life.
“Simply stated, the book has been a guiding North Star since first reading it at Cornell in 1973,” Webb said.
The book’s themes, which explore the challenges and complexities of everyday life and human nature, resonated deeply with Webb as a student and continued to guide him throughout his life. Among the lessons he carried with him throughout his life was the idea that maintaining calm in the face of life’s uncertainties and interactions with others is one of the most powerful paths to happiness.
“The chapter ‘In Spite of Other People’ taught me that calm is a superpower, preventing stress from stealing my happiness,” Webb said. “In my humble opinion, the grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.”
Then, as now, the library offered spaces for learning, exploration, and contemplation. For Webb, it became a place of intellectual discovery and personal reflection.
“The library was often a quiet place for escape, to read, to study, and contemplate,” he recalled. “The world has certainly changed tremendously since the first printing in 1953, but people mostly remain the same.”
The book itself appears to have aged almost as gracefully as its owner. Despite spending more than five decades away from campus, it was returned in excellent condition.
Andy Horbal, Cornell University Library’s director of access services, said the return is not entirely unprecedented.
“We receive long overdue materials in the mail once or twice a month, so this kind of event is not quite as uncommon as people might think,” Horbal said. “Although, of course, they aren’t usually quite this overdue.”
Cornell University Library eliminated overdue fines in July 2021. The change was intended to reduce barriers to library use and create a more equitable experience for patrons while also simplifying workflows.
But whether a book is weeks, months, or decades overdue, library employees are always pleased to see materials returned.
“The great thing about books is that they never go bad,” Horbal said. “We’re always happy to recover materials and, when they’re in good condition like this book was, reintroduce them into our collection so that they’re available for use by other patrons again.”
He added his appreciation for the book’s longtime caretaker: “Many thanks to the patron for taking such good care of it.”
Returning the volume to Cornell’s shelves was both a practical gesture and a meaningful one. After more than half a century, the book was coming home, ready to be discovered by a new generation of readers. Parting with it carried a certain significance. After all, some books are borrowed for a semester. Others accompany us through a lifetime.
Now, more than half a century after its due date, In Spite of: A Philosophy for Everyman has returned to Cornell’s collection, ready to inspire a new generation of readers.
