First edition of Samuel Beckett's 1938 novel Murphy donated to Oxfam sells for £12,000.
Jane Bown’s Samuel Beckett portrait
A book donated to Oxfam has sold at auction for £12,000 after an eagle-eyed specialist spotted it was a rare find.
The first edition of Samuel Beckett's Murphy was sold at the charity's annual Bonhams book auction and went for double the estimated price.
Murphy, published in 1938, was the first novel written by the Irish author and dramatist. The auctioned book is one of only 1,500 copies printed and one of the few that has survived with its original dust jacket.
The book was donated to Oxfam Books And Music in Berkhamstead, in Hertfordshire, and spotted by the store's book specialist Geoff Smith.
He said: "I'm absolutely delighted at the amount the book has raised for Oxfam. I knew as soon as I saw it that it might be important, but after some initial research on the internet it was clear that it was rare and likely to be valuable.
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