BOOK lovers have been left shaken and stirred with a string of rare editions on display in Oxfordshire.
Volumes by James Bond author Ian Fleming, Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle and Jane Austen are being put on show in the county.
Bond fans can get their hands on a rare first edition of the original book to feature 007 – Casino Royale, inset – at an Oxford book fair this weekend.
There were just 4,728 copies in the novel’s first print run, but it spawned 11 further Fleming novels and nine short stories as well as 24 films.
The original copy of the book will go on sale for £28,000 at the Oxford Premier Book Fair tomorrow.
Steven Dick, who is selling the book, said: “This is the most iconic 20th century spy novel and Fleming is one of the most collected authors in the world.”
Event manager Peter Hill said: “There is a very high quality of books this year.”
Also up for grabs will be a 1923 limited edition copy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, valued at £3,750.
The signed copy of Conan Doyle’s White Company was discovered by excited staff at the Oxfam bookshop in Thame, after being left by an anonymous donor. They hope it will raise £750 for the charity.
Volunteer Peter Braithwaite said: “I was surprised, like a lot of people.
“I always thought of Arthur Conan Doyle just doing Sherlock Holmes.”
* The Oxford Premier Book Fair runs at Oxford Brookes University from 12-6pm tomorrow and 10am-5pm on Sunday. Admission is £2.
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