An incredibly rare first edition 1688 copy of Aphra Behn’s novel Oroonoko has gone on display at The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge in Canterbury.

The book has been added to the museum’s current summer exhibition, which is celebrating the life and work of locally-born Aphra Behn, the first professional woman writer in the English language. It is free to visit and runs until Sunday 18 August in The Beaney’s Special Exhibitions Room.

Its inclusion in the exhibition comes after the book’s owner, Kent-based Anna Astin, came to visit the Beaney with her daughter Christina, bringing the book with them to show museum staff.

Anna had taken ownership of the book as a girl more than 50 years ago when she chose it from the bookshelves of her father’s shop on Fulham Road in London, where he sold antiques.

But despite knowing it was old, Anna and Christina were not aware of its rarity. Only 13 copies are known to exist globally and all of these are housed in the best libraries and universities in the UK and America, including the British Library, Oxford University and Yale University Library.

The Astin family has now kindly donated it to the Beaney for the remainder of the exhibition.

The Beaney is in Canterbury High Street and is open daily (except Mondays) between 10am and 5pm (11am to 4pm on Sundays). Entrance is free.

Find out more information about the Aphra Behn exhibition on The Beaney website.

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