The Hobbit book bought for 37p valued at more than £64,000

Ahead of the 89th anniversary of The Hobbit next week, it is worth checking your bookshelf to have a look at your copy.

Only 1,500 first edition copies of J.R.R Tolkein’s book were ever printed, and one surviving leather-bound version was recently found and valued at £64,420.

Mike Lane, CEO and co-founder of WeBuyBooks, said: "A find like that shows just how far a rare first edition can travel, and how much it can be worth when it turns up." 

Experts from WeBuyBooks added: “One of the most well-known pieces of literature of the 1900s, The Hobbit, set the stage for a new age of high fantasy literature.

“When The Hobbit was published in 1937 it was only given a first run of 1,500 which immediately makes it rare by any standards.

“Nowadays there are likely much fewer than 1,500 first edition copies of The Hobbit left thanks to general attrition, not to mention all the copies that have already been accounted for.

“This means that any first edition copy of The Hobbit is going to be valuable.

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“An example of just how valuable they can be is the leather-bound first edition copy of The Hobbit found on the Greek island of Santorini which sold was valued at £64,420.”

Here are some of the other books it is worth keeping an eye out for, and how much they could be worth according to WeBuyBooks.

• First Edition Ulysses by James Joyce - Approximate Value: £275,000
• First Edition of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Approximate Value: £246,636
• First Edition of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - Approximate Value: £140,000
• First Edition Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Approximate Value: £139,356
• First Edition of The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie - Approximate Value: £100,000
• First Edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter - Approximate Value: £50,000
• First Edition Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - Approximate Value: £39,221
• First Edition Casino Royale by Ian Fleming - Approximate Value: £24,180
• First Edition In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway - Approximate Value: £22,079
• First Edition Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - Approximate Value: £20,381