BOSTON -- A 75-year-old Mansfield man decided it was high time he returned a book his deceased mother had when she passed away, but he was a little nervous about the fine.

Still, Stanley Dudek brought the volume back to the New Bedford Library anyway, 99 years, seven months and 12 days overdue.

The book, "Facts I Ought to Know about the Government of My Country" indicated it should have been returned to the library on May 2, 1910.

Dudek discovered the book among some things taken out of his mother Mary Piela's New Bedford home 10 years ago when she died just before turning 90.

He said it appeared the book had been loaned to her by someone else who had checked it out of the library. He said his mother was a Polish immigrant who came to America when she was 14 and someone may have loaned it to her to help her learn about U.S. government.

Dudek was worried that the library's late fee in 1909 was about a penny a day and he was concerned that the fines would have grown to more than $360.

Library staff, however, was thrilled to get the book back and, much to Dudek's relief, waived the fine, saying the volume was now a historical artifact that would be turned over to the curator and likely put in the library's special collection.

The book indicated it was first checked out in 1906 but library staff said there was no way to tell who originally checked it out.