News / Arts
First edition of Tess of the D’Urbervilles
A rare three-volume first edition of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles has been discovered in a charity shop in Cotham.
Lucia Marche, who has been volunteering in the Oxfam bookshop for more than seven years, spotted the rare edition. Simon Baines, shop manager of the Cotham Hill branch, said he is lucky their volunteers have “an eye for the unusual”.
Published in 1891 by the West-country author, Tess of the D’Urbervilles is considered by many to be Hardy’s masterpiece.
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“Lucia was really excited when she realised that this was a genuine first edition of Hardy’s best-known novel,” Baines said.
The book is the new highlight of the shop’s rare and collectable books section. Priced at £400, it is the most valuable book that the Oxfam branch has ever dealt with.
The Oxfam Bookshop is at 56 Cotham Hill, Bristol, BS6 6JX, or for more information contact Simon Baines on oxfamshopf2805@oxfam.org.uk.
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