SHARP-EYED volunteers at a charity bookshop have managed to spot an extremely valuable first-edition novel in a pile of unwanted fiction.

It is believed the copy of Kazuo Ishiguro's A Pale View of The Hills could sell for well over £1,000.

The book was handed in a black plastic bin bag at the Oxfam bookshop, in Bondgate, Darlington, along with several Andy McNab and Ian Rankin paperbacks.

Fortunately, volunteer manager Gerry Cryer had recently undertaken an Oxfam training course, where a copy of the book had been used to highlight how seemingly innocuous novels can sometimes be worth a great deal.

Assistant manager Iain Gardener said: "Myself and Stella Coulson were working on Saturday when a man rang at the back door with a black bin-liner full of books.

"It was mostly Ian Rankins and Andy McNabs.

"But this was a hardback and I knew that Kazuo Ishiguro is popular, so I thought it might be worth something, so I left it out.

"It was when I heard the Yippees' coming from Gerry that we knew it was worth a bit."

The book was Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel and was published by Faber and Faber in 1982.

Ishiguro went on to become a famous novelist with The Remains of The Day, which was made into a film starring Anthony Hopkins.

Mr Cryer said: "This was before he became popular, so first edition books of this novel are in short supply.

"When we did the training course, they were asking us which books we thought were valuable, and nobody picked this book.

"There are copies of this book in a similar condition going on the internet for around £1,300.

"It is really good as every pound we can make goes to the charity, and that sort of price can do an awful lot of good.

"For £75, you can maintain a well, so this can do a lot of work."

The book is on sale at the Oxfam shop, in Bondgate, and the staff are happy to listen to reasonable offers.

The shop is open from 9.30am to 4.30pm, or call 01325-483967.

â–  Did you donate the books? Call The Northern Echo on 01325- 505073.