"If the author abandoned the module, though, I have no idea what the best way to proceed would be. Perhaps there is a process for taking over CPAN modules ..."

The CPAN FAQ has answers to these types of questions. In this instance, the two most relevant seem to be:

-- Ken

In reply to Re^4: How to stop get_rfc822_body method of Net::IMAP::Client package to mark an unread email as read ? by kcott
in thread How to stop get_rfc822_body method of Net::IMAP::Client package to mark an unread email as read ? by pankaj_it09

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