Rare first edition of Anne Frank's diary found in Eemnes thrift store
A rare first edition of Anne Frank’s diary, Het Achterhuis, was found in a thrift store in Eemnes. Apart from slight discoloration on the back and a missing dust jacket, the book is in pristine condition, NH reports.
Volunteers from the thrift store took the book to Koen Samson of Veilinghuis Van Spengen. “This is very special. The first print run consisted of just over 3,000 books, so every time you find a copy in good condition, it is a unique find,” Samson told NH.
He praised the thrift store volunteer who found it. “While sorting, the person saw not only that it was in good condition, but also that the printing year 1947 was special. You have to have an eye for that.
The book will be auctioned in May. Similar first editions have sold for between €3,000 and €16,000. The money will go to the thrift store’s foundation, which supports several charities.
Anne Frank died with her sister Margo in the German concentration camp Bergen-Belsen, somewhere around February 1945. Before that, they had been imprisoned in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Their mother died there in January 1945.
Anne’s father, Otto, was the only member of the family to survive the war. He published the diary his daughter kept. The first print of the diary consisted of only 3,036 copies.
Het Achterhuis, called The Secret Annex in English, is the most widely read Dutch-language book in the world. The book has sold tens of millions of copies and has been translated into over 70 languages.
