What…No Paper?????

Origin of Species found in British loo

A first edition of Charles Darwin's seminal book On the Origin of Species will be sold this week, after it was found in a family's toilet in southern Britain, an auction house says.

The book, which was first printed in 1859, was bought by a family for just a few shillings in a shop about 40 years ago, Christie's auction house says.

The family has since kept the work on a bookcase in the guest toilet at their home in the Oxford area.

The book will go under the hammer in London on Tuesday, to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the publication of the father of the theory of evolution's famous work.

The book, one of about 1,250 copies in the first print run, is expected to fetch 60,000 pounds ($108,277).

Margaret Ford, head of books and manuscripts at Christie's, says the book would have been a bargain when it was bought by the present owner.

"It's incredibly important," Ms Ford said

"He [the current owner] knew it was textually important.

"[But] he maybe did not know how much of a bargain he was getting," she said.

Christie's says the son-in-law of the current owners was at an exhibition on Darwin and spotted a picture of the spine of the work.

He realised the book in the toilet was something special, matching the binding of the work in the picture.

…………His subscription to Penthouse had run out!!!!