Mystery shopper finally pays Waterstones for books bought nearly 50 years ago

A mystery shopper who forgot to pay for their books at a branch of Waterstones nearly 50 years ago has finally sent through the money. 

The retailer's Gower Street store in London 

a picture of the letter from the anonymous individual, which explained: "In 1974, I forgot to pay for a few books, it's been a long time and with inflation the cost would be around £100, so I sent you £120 to make up for none [sic] payment".

"Bookshops are amazing places with fantastic customers both past and present", Waterstones said, adding: "To pass on such a lovely gesture we will be using this payment to make a donation to BookTrust and we hope that our anonymous customer of yesteryear approves and might even pop in again!"

it "couldn't be more touched" to receive the donation. It said: "This will really make a difference, so thank you."