A rare book of Shakespeare sold

This rare 400 years old book inherited by a Bramhall housewife from a relative she never knew brought £160,000 when it went under the hammer. An unnamed businessman from the Far East snapped up the book when it went on sale at Bloomsbury Auctions, in London.

It had been rumoured that the 1623 First Folio of the Comedies, Histories and Tragedies - a collection of 36 of the Bard´s plays - could have been sold for millions. The 900-page book was one of only six in private hands and the last such copy, although in better condition, was sold for £4.1m in 2001.

Despite the much lower price, mum-of-three Anne Humphries, 48, from Bramhall, was delghted and even turned to Shakespeare to express her joy. "All´s well that ends well," she said. "I never ever expected it to go for the millions that were being reported. "We´d been told that, because of its condition, it was more likely to go for about £80,000. I´m not disappointed and will probably invest the money. But owning the book has been absolutely tremendous. It´s been a lovely experience and I´ve got precious memories."

Bloomsbury spokesman Richard Caton said: "This book was always unlikely to be sold for millions because of its condition. It did have some pages missing. "But saying that is still extremely rare to find these things. Mr and Mrs Humphries were absolutely ecstatic. "The buyer wishes to remain anonymous." The book belonged to Mrs Humphries´ cousin, Frances Cottle, from Tottenham, who died in 2002.