Gun found in book donated to Indiana library

Valparaiso - A library employee received quite a shock when she opened a book and found an antique gun in a carved-out compartment in the novel.

The discovery gives a whole new meaning to the term "concealed weapon." A copy of Outerbridge Reach, a 1998 novel by Richard Stone, was donated to the Porter County Public Library in Valparaiso, Indiana. According to the Daily Mail, the book is about a man's quest to sail around the world. Phyllis Nelson, assistant director of the library, was quoted in the New York Daily News as saying, "Somebody just opened it up and said, 'Oh my.' " According to Nelson, Porter County Public Library receives hundreds of donated books each month and the library does not keep records of who donates what. Library employees turned the gun over to the Valparaiso Police Department. The gun is described as a .31-calibre, single shot, black powder gun with a gold and wooden handle. It was manufactured by Arma san Marco and, in mint condition, is worth about $175. Police are not saying whether the gun was loaded when they received it. All they have been able to determine so far is that the gun has not been reported stolen. Nelson told The Times of Northwest Indiana this is not the first time a gun has been found concealed in a book at the library. Another one was found 12 years earlier before she began working there. "I've just heard the story," she said. Valparaiso police are holding the gun as evidence.