Ivika Turkson of the Tallinn Central Library says that last week the man in his mid-80s returned the overdue book - which was checked out on March 7, 1944, while Estonia was occupied by Nazi Germany - along with an apology and an offer to pay a late fee.
Turkson said Tuesday that the library waived any penalty for the late return of the tome, which still contained the original emblem and serial number, allowing librarians to identify it.
It was not immediately clear why the man waited so long to return the book, a work of fiction by Estonian author Eduard Vilde.
