Signed copy of classic sells for £32,000

A SIGNED first edition copy of The Wind In The Willows has raised £32,400 at auction.

The book, which was autographed by Edinburgh author Kenneth Grahame, was sold by Bonhams auctioneers yesterday, vastly exceeding its 5,000 guide price.

The book was given to the nine-year-old daughter of Grahame's friend Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, the man who is thought to have inspired the character of Ratty.

It bears a handwritten inscription reading: "To Foy Felicia Quiller-Couch from her affectionate friend, Kenneth Grahame, October 1908."

The auction house said the book had attracted "fierce bidding".

Sir Arthur, who published under the name of Q, was responsible for such works as the Oxford Book Of English Verse 1250-1900.

Grahame, who was born in Castle Street on 8 March, 1859, often stayed at his home, The Haven, at Fowey in Cornwall. It is thought that it was at The Haven that he found inspiration for The Wind in the Willows.

The book was sold at Bonhams' auction in London, which raised a total of 567,000 after several surprise bids.

A watercolour of Horatio Nelson and his lover Emma Hamilton, sold for 30,000, way above its estimate of 10,000-15,000, and a journal detailing a voyage to Australia sold for 14,400, having been valued at 2,000-4,000.