A RARE signed edition of Thomas Hardy’s ‘Far From The Madding Crowd’ has smashed its estimate, selling for £1,265 at auction in Wareham.

The book, inscribed by Hardy with the phrase ‘In the cause of our defenders’, carried an estimate price of between £200-£300 going into the sale at Cottees Auctions.

Auctioneer John Condie said: “The book which is inscribed in Hardy’s familiar hand in black ink to the front piece was entered on behalf of an elderly local lady who was clearing her bookshelves and did not know that the book was there until it was noticed by a neighbour who was helping her.”

It was purchased by an anonymous bidder from Devon, at Cottees’ East Street saleroom, against competition from other bidders and online.

Mr Condie says it is possible the book was inscribed by Hardy at the time as a prize to raise funds for soldiers fighting in the trenches during World War One.

“Far From The Madding Crowd is one of Hardy’s most evocative novels and I am pleased that it has gone to a private buyer,” he added.

“A new film of the novel is due to be released in 2015 and I am sure that this has helped increase the interest in the book.”

A first edition of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’, that was also included in the sale, failed to find a buyer.

It was hoped this, one of the best-loved Sherlock Holmes adventures, would have attracted offers in the region of £1,200 from around the world.