A RARE first edition copy of The Hobbit found in the Oxfam shop in Chipping Norton could fetch up to £4,000 for the charity.

The children’s story by Oxford author JRR Tolkien was first published in 1937 and was followed by The Lord of the Rings.

It will be auctioned by Bonhams today, with an estimated value of between £2,000 and £4,000.

The book was discovered in a box of donated religious books by shop manager Tony Cooper earlier this year.

Mr Cooper said: “It’s not every day that a Hobbit leaps out of a box of donations.

“The excitement really kicked in when I checked the date and edition, as it just had the one date of 1937.

“The book is a rare first edition in good order and I knew that it had to be an auction item.”

The Market Place shop held a book valuations talk as part of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival and invited Matthew Haley from Bonhams, who appears on Antiques Roadshow, to speak to customers and provide valuations.

Mr Cooper found the book just two days before the event, so was able to ask Mr Haley for a valuation.

Mr Haley said “I think Tolkien would have been thrilled that his much-loved novel will be helping Oxfam to fight poverty.”