Rutland’s most overdue library book… what is it, when was it taken out, how much does the borrower owe?
You may want to check your shelves to see whether you are currently in possession of Rutland’s most overdue library book.
A copy of children’s favourite The Royal Baby by Tony Bradman has been in the hands of a member of the public for almost ten years, it can be revealed.
But if you are the guilty culprit, don’t worry - you don’t owe a penny.
This book - a story of speculation and unconditional love, illustrated by Tony Ross - was borrowed from Oakham Library on May 19, 2015.
While many libraries charge late return fees, the person who has forgotten to return their copy of The Royal Baby is not facing any astronomical bills anytime soon.
That is because Rutland’s libraries axed overdue charges on April 2, 2016, back when this book had been on loan for.
This information has been made public following a Freedom of Information request by LincsOnline.
Other fascinating figures revealed include the most popular authors, books, DVDs and audiobooks loaned out in Rutland in 2024.
The most borrowed book - and most borrowed in the fiction category - last year was Murder Most Antique by local author EC Bateman, book two of her Stamford Mystery series.
This 2023 novel - a gripping murder mystery which unfolds following a grizzly Georgian Fair - was taken out a total of 54 times.
Book one in the series, Death at the Auction, also made it into the top 10.
In second place was the touchingly-named children’s story I Really Really Need A Wee.
Karl Newson’s tale of determination, packed with plenty of toilet humour, was taken out a total of 53 times, also making it the most popular kids’ book of last year.
Topping the non-fiction list was James Clear’s globally-popular self-help book Atomic Habits, which was loaned out 34 times.
The most borrowed teen/young adult book was Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz, while the most loaned audio book was Robert Galbraith’s The Running Grave.
Both of these units were taken out 14 times each.
The most borrowed DVD was Wonka, starring Timothee Chalamet and Hugh Grant and directed by Paul King, which was taken out 36 times.
The top 10 most borrowed books were: 1 Murder Most Antique by EC Bateman (54 loans), 2 I Really Really Need A Wee by Karl Newson (53), 3 The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman (51), 4 The Last Word by Elly Griffiths (50), 5 Octopus Shocktopus! by Peter Bently (50), 6 Death at the Auction by EC Bateman (48), 7 The Runaway by Pea Kjartan Poskitt and Alex Willmore (41), 8 The Great Deceiver by Elly Griffiths (39), 9 The Secret by Lee Child and Andrew Child (39), 10 We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (38).
Also: Lincolnshire library fines revealed
Children’s authors topped the list of most popular authors by total number of books borrowed.
Gruffalo and Superworm author Julia Donaldson saw a total of 604 copies of her stories borrowed, with Rainbow Magic series writer Daisy Meadows - who topped 2023’s list - second with 585 loans.
In third came the Ordnance Survey series with 517 loans.
In fourth and fifth respectively were crime writers James Patterson (483) and Elly Griffiths (415).
Last year’s top five were the same authors as 2023, the only change to the order being Julia Donaldson overtaking Daisy Meadows in top spot.
Also: The most borrowed books and popular authors in Lincolnshire
In total, the number of books borrowed from Rutland Libraries was down on the previous two years.
A total of 116,976 books were loaned out in 2024, lower than the 120,697 in 2023 and 117,111 in 2022.
However, the number is much higher than the 67,270 in 2021 and 46,117 in 2020, those years affected by Covid-19 regulations.
In contrast, the number or audio books (3,369), e-books (7,542) and e-audiobooks (16,764) were up on 2023’s figures.
All statistics include loans and renewals.
