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Burglars steal £40,000 Harry Potter book in shop raid

Book dealers are being asked to be vigilant in case the rare volumes are offered for sale.

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A first edition Harry Potter book was taken in the raid (Thames Valley Police/PA)

Police are hunting burglars who broke into a bookshop and stole a haul of rare and valuable titles, including a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone that is worth around £40,000.

Other books taken from the store in Thetford include a set of four Winnie the Pooh first editions and a signed first edition of Terry Pratchett’s Colour of Magic, Norfolk Police said.

A force spokesman said two men broke into the shop in Napier Place between 11.50pm on January 8 and 1.30am on January 9.

Pc Gideon Weigelt-Holmes said: “These books are very rare and in some cases unique and not the sort of thing you see every day.

“I am urging people, especially book dealers or those working in specialist book shops, to be vigilant in case they are offered for sale.”

Other books taken during the break-in include a hardcover first edition of The Hobbit from 1937, worth around £7,000 and a paperback copy of Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time from 1983 with a thumbprint signature by the author.

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