It always was a controversial album. But "Self-Portrait", Dylan's double-album release which came out in 1970, was so compelling to the customer of an Ohio library that he kept the music record for forty-eight whole years.
Howard Simon, who now lives in San Francisco, sent the old vinyl back to Heights Libraries in Cleveland through the standard mail system. He'd attached a note, which provided his apologies for the hideously overdue loan. He relayed how he'd taken the record out of the library in 1973, when he was an eighth-grader at University Heights middle school, and somehow it had stayed in his personal record collection ever since.
Simon had found the album on a recent clearout, nestled between two of his own (not borrowed!) Dylan albums. He'd retired recently, the note went on, and was now busy doing chores that his increased free time had given him the space to attend to.
As a recent retiree, I am taking the opportunity to turn my attention to some of the many vignettes of life that by dint of career and family have been neglected these many years. I am returning with the letter an overdue item by my count, approximately 17,480 days overdue as of this writing. - Howard Simon
Along with the record itself - the cover of which is understandably battered after being moved around in his record collection - Simon had also enclosed a copy of an album he'd recorded himself (hoping, perhaps, to stay in someone else's collection for another half-century?!) and a "replacement fee" of $175. This despite the fact that, ironically, the library no longer charges any sort of late fees.
The branch manager, Sara Phillips, stated that "As long as we get the item back, we see no need to penalize people" and paid no mind to the battered cardboard around the records, pointing out that the actual records are still in good shape. She was not clear as to whether or not the library ever knew the record was missing. (I'm going to guess that there wasn't a computerized inventory in 1973).
All in all, said library staff, they're very pleased to have the album returned to them and grateful for Simon's belated bout of restitution. And presumably Simon feels he's got a weight off his chest, too. As Bob himself said - in his 1966 song, Absolutely Sweet Marie - "you must be honest".
Risking a four-decade library late fee is honest, all right.