A book borrowed from a Helsinki library in 1939 was returned in May, 84 years late, a librarian in the Finnish capital reported today.

The book “The Refugees”, an adventure and horror novel by Arthur Conan Doyle, was received on Monday by librarian Heini Strand, at Helsinki’s Oodi Central Library.

“The deadline for his return was December 26, 1939Strand explained, clarifying that she has never received a book so late.

It remains unknown what relationship the man had who returned the book with the one who borrowed it.

“Usually, the borrowed books that are returned after decades are found by people searching through the belongings of their deceased relatives. They do what should have been done and return the book to its owner, the libraryh,” Strand added, feeling touched by the gesture.

One possible explanation for the forgotten book was that its return date was a month after the Soviet Union invaded Finland.

“Perhaps returning the book was not the first thing on the mind of the person who borrowed it“, he commented.

The Soviet-Finnish war lasted until March 1940 and ended with the signing of a peace agreement that forced Finland to make territorial concessions.

The book is a historical novel set in 17th century France and published in 1893.

Conan Doyle is best known for his detective novels featuring Sherlock Holmes.

The librarian said that the Finnish translation, published in 1925, is in very good condition and the book could again be made available for loan to readers.

“The quality of old books is generally better than that of new books“, he admitted.