VANCOUVER — Former student Robert Murray says he has a good excuse for returning a book to the University of B.C. Library 64 years late — the 83-year-old reckons it might have saved his and his son's life.
In January, librarian Susan Parker received a package from Murray in the mail with the book, a $100 cheque for late fees and an explanation.
Murray's letter says the book, a 1931 edition of "Camping and Woodcraft: Handbook for vacation campers and for travellers in the wilderness," by Horace Kephart, is a "treasure."
He borrowed the handbook as a second-year electrical engineering student in 1961 and reread it multiple times over the years. He said the book "could easily serve as a text or excellent reference" for North American wilderness living.
In an interview, Murray, who now lives in Edgewood in the B.C. Interior, said he was feeling "close to the end of his life" and the book came to mind.
"I suspect you haven't given much thought to dying — there are probably some things you have that you value a lot, and you wouldn't want to see them lost or misplaced or forgotten or destroyed," said Murray.
"Camping and Woodcraft" was one of those things.
"I wasn't going camping anymore, so I thought, well, why don't I return it now instead of leaving it for somebody else to do," said Murray.
He said that when he was in his 50s, he and his younger son went on a hike to Mount Young, about 100 kilometres east of Kelowna, B.C.
A faulty compass and a soaking from an intense rainstorm put them in a life-threatening situation.
But with knowledge gained from the book, they built a lean-to shelter that saved them from hypothermia. They constructed the shelter according to Kephart's design, using a tarp for a roof that reflected life-saving heat from their fire.
Murray said he valued the book "a great deal," having grown up outside an isolated community where he spent his days hunting, fishing, camping and hiking.
Murray said he knew a fair bit about living in the wilderness and he considered most books on the outdoors at the time to be "utter garbage".
Then, as a student, he came across Kephart's book.
"It's just a fluke. Really. I was in the UBC Library and I came across it at random," said Murray, adding that "I recognized gold when I saw it."
He said he never felt guilty about hanging onto it — it had only been borrowed once in the 10 years before he signed it out — but he believed it was time for the book to be returned.
The library said in a statement that the book was returned in good condition and will soon be going back into circulation despite it's "many adventures."
“Although he returned it six decades late, he was an ideal library book caretaker,” Parker said. “I’ve seen books deteriorated more that were loaned out for much shorter periods of time, and even found a book where they had clearly used a piece of bacon as a bookmark.”
The university's library eliminated most overdue fines in 2020, so Murray's cheque will be put toward other backlogged fees.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 17, 2025.
Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
