LONDON (AP) -- A first edition of Jane Austen's classic novel "Pride and Prejudice," discovered by chance in a Scottish castle, sold for $62,500, setting what auctioneers say is a world record price for the author's work.
Auctioneers had estimated that the rare three-volume copy would fetch around $18,700, and were stunned when it sold Friday for more than three times that amount.
Philip Gregory, of the Edinburgh auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull, said people flew to Edinburgh from as far away as the United States to bid for the set, which was published in 1813. The buyer was an anonymous private collector.
"There was a lot of competition, and it was very exciting. We're absolutely over the moon because we didn't think it would sell for quite so much," Gregory said. "It's something that a lot of people really wanted and items like this don't come up very often."
The set was discovered in a small castle in Ayrshire, southwest of Glasgow, as the owners, who also asked to remain anonymous, were packing to move to another dwelling.
