First edition of Aphra Behn’s novel found on home bookshelf

An extremely rare copy of the first edition of Aphra Behn’s 1688 novel Oroonoko was found in Kent.

Anna Astin, also from Canterbury, selected a copy of “Oroonoko” in her father’s antique shop in the 1950s, brought it to the exhibition and showed it to the staff there.

Elaine Hobby, professor of 17th-century studies at Loughborough University, said: “This is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me in my life – and I have not had a boring life.”

“Oroonoko” explores the suffering of an enslaved African prince in colonial Guyana.

The novel is taught at universities around the world and is considered an inspiration for the abolitionist movement.

Only 13 first editions of Oroonoko were known to exist, and they are held in major libraries in Britain and the United States. Mrs. Astin’s first edition, which sits on a bookshelf at her home, is now the 14th.

“I’m still trying to come to terms with the fact that a book that has been on my bookshelf all this time has now sparked so much interest,” she said.

Justin Croft, a historical book dealer and specialist on the BBC Antiques Roadshow, called the discovery “incredibly exciting” and said it was “amazing” that the book had survived.

Bibliographers will examine every word and every page to determine differences between the other 13 copies. Ms. Astin’s copy is missing the title page.

“I’ll decide what to do with it. It doesn’t have to go back in the closet,” she said. “It’s too important.”

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