A RARE book donated to the Oxfam shop in Cotham Hill has raised more than £25,000 for the charity.
The first edition of The Waves by Virginia Woolf, inscribed “Virginia Woolf Oct. 1931”, by the author, was spotted by volunteer Maria Fenner while checking prices on older books.
Maria recruited another volunteer and keen historian, Angela Iliff, to compare it with authenticated signature examples and scrutinise publication dates, and on realising it could be a signed first edition, they alerted the rest of the shop team. Their careful research led to the book being authenticated before it went under the hammer at Bonhams, where it sold for £25,600.
Ian Falkingham, Oxfam’s books expert, said: “This remarkable discovery shows the extraordinary difference donations to our shops make. It is helping fund Oxfam’s work tackling poverty and responding to disasters, including the ongoing emergency in Venezuela. We’re hugely grateful to everyone who donates to Oxfam, and to the volunteers and shop teams whose expertise helps uncover finds like these.”