Doh! I Really Want My Book Back!

photo provided by Valparaiso Police Dept.

There are two possibilities, I suppose.  Either someone included the wrong book in a batch donated to Indiana's Porter County Library system and hasn't noticed the mistake yet, or someone died before telling his heirs what was hidden inside the book.  According to Valpo Communities.com, sorters at one branch of the library system were a bit shocked to find a gun hidden inside the hollowed-out book shown above:

The book, which carries the title "Outerbridge Reach," was hollowed out and contained a historic-looking handgun, according to Valparaiso police.
"Somebody just opened it up and said, 'Oh my,' " said Assistant Library Director Phyllis Nelson.
The weapon was described by police as a gold, wooden handle, A.S.M. brand, .31-caliber, single shot, black powder gun.

Local police determined that the gun was not a stolen one, but librarians say they have no way of determining who inadvertently donated the little pistol.  Perhaps strangest of all, this is not the first time something like this has happened to the county library - librarians there found a pistol hidden in a donated book about twelve years ago. 

Just goes to show that anything can happen in a place as wild as a public library...