While assessing the contents of a house in Bristol, England, after its owner had died, Auctioneum book specialist Caitlin Riley discovered one of the most valuable and significant rare books in modern literary history in an unsuspecting place.
Tucked away in an old bookcase, Riley found a first-edition copy of “The Hobbit,” which the British auction house sold for $69,811 on Wednesday afternoon.
“Nobody knew it was there,” said Riley in a statement published by the auction house. “It was just a run-of-the-mill bookcase, containing the usual reading and reference books you’d expect to find. It was clearly an early Hobbit at first glance, so I just pulled it out and began to flick through it, never expecting it to be a true first edition.”
According to the auction house, the book originated in the family library of a botanist named Hubert Priestley, brother of the Antarctic explorer Raymond Edward Priestley, who had ties to the University of Oxford, where the book’s author, J.R.R. Tolkien was a professor.
Around 1,500 first-edition, first-impression copies of “The Hobbit” were printed in 1937.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes!” Riley said. “There are a few key details to look out for when spotting one of the first editions, and as I looked into each one, they were all there. When I realised what it was, my heart began pounding. It’s an unimaginably rare find!”
The sale of the book Wednesday afternoon blew past pre-sale estimates of £10,000 ($13,352) to £12,000 ($16,023).
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.