East Sussex libraries are participating in a book amnesty.
East Sussex County Council is advising residents to look behind couches, under beds, and bookcases for overdue library materials.
Every year in the county, almost 5,000 books are not returned.
The library service will waive all fines for any returned books during the seven-week amnesty, which runs from February 13 to March 31.
Among the well-known fiction works with the longest loan periods are classic books like War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.
While James Patterson is the most overdue author of adult fiction, more than 70 copies of Roald Dahl's children's books are currently missing.
Councilwoman Claire Dowling stated: "Our libraries have thousands of books that library members can borrow for free.
"But regrettably, every year a large number of titles fail to reach us, and if books aren't returned, other people miss out.
"During the amnesty, I advise locals who believe they may have a late book to search their homes to see if they can assist us in recovering some of the missing items and enabling more people to enjoy them. ".
Any East Sussex library that is open during business hours is where books can be returned. Alternatively, most libraries have drop boxes for after-hours returns.
