An eagle-eyed volunteer at an Oxfam shop in Bristol discovered a donated book that sold for more than £25,000 at auction. Maria Fenner, a volunteer at the Cotham Hill shop, noticed a Virginia Woolf signature inside a first edition of The Waves, a novel published in 1931 by Hogarth Press. The book, which had a faded spine and no dust jacket, was authenticated as a signed first edition after checks by Oxfam and Bonhams auctioneers.
Discovery and Authentication
The book was inscribed with “Virginia Woolf Oct. 1931” on the front free endpaper, the month the novel was published. An original price tag of just 20p remained inside the cover. Fenner, who has volunteered at the shop for four years, discovered the book in April 2026 while checking donations. She and fellow volunteer Angela Iliff, a keen historian, compared it with authenticated examples to scrutinize publication dates and quickly realized it could be a signed first edition. They alerted the rest of the shop team.
Auction Results
Put up for auction by Oxfam last week, the book fetched £25,600. Lorenza Gay, specialist in fine books and manuscripts at Bonhams, described the book as “extra special.” “The Waves is considered by many to be Virginia Woolf’s masterpiece,” she said. “With such a strong collector base for works associated with the Bloomsbury group, it is no wonder that this signed first edition attracted such interest. Moreover, it being signed by Woolf with the date of publication made this copy extra special. We are delighted that it far exceeded its estimate, and that it achieved such a great price for Oxfam.”
Volunteer Recognition
Sula Dunne-Prevatt, manager of Oxfam’s Cotham Hill bookshop, praised the volunteers. “When I arrived at the shop, the book was sitting on the corner of a desk with a note saying: ‘Might be fake.’ The credit really belongs to Maria and Angela. Maria spotted the signature, and they took the time to research it carefully and realised it could be something significant. Their attention to detail meant we were able to get the book authenticated and ultimately raise £25,000 for Oxfam. It’s a great example of the knowledge and dedication our volunteers bring to the shop every day.”
About the Book
The Waves features the voices of six characters—three boys and three girls—beginning with their childhood by the sea and following their lives as they grow up. It was Woolf’s seventh novel, following masterpieces including Mrs Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and A Room of One’s Own (1929).
Impact of the Sale
Ian Falkingham, Oxfam’s books expert, said: “What makes this discovery so special isn’t just the book—it’s the volunteers who recognised what it could be. Thanks to Maria and Angela’s knowledge and attention to detail, this donation has raised more than £25,000 to support Oxfam’s work around the world. That money will provide clean water and food in crisis zones, help support people rebuilding their lives after conflict and enable us to respond to disasters, including the ongoing emergency in Venezuela. We’re hugely grateful to everyone who donates to Oxfam, and to the volunteers and shop teams whose expertise helps uncover remarkable finds that make a real difference.”
As the copy of The Waves was in a big box of other books and wasn't processed on the day it was donated, Oxfam has no way of knowing who gave it or if they knew its true value.
