A selection of unique paper book sculptures that depict iconic scenes from Scottish books have fetched a whopping £50,000 at an auction in Edinburgh.
The intricate paper artworks, especially created for Scottish Book Trust a decade ago by an anonymous artist, were sold by fine art auctioneers, Lyon & Turnbull, on behalf of the charity.
Bids were accepted online for the artworks over the course of a week, with the virtual hammer falling last night at 6pm following on from a flurry of last minute offers from across the UK.
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The grand total was £50,500, all of which will go towards funding Scottish Book Trust's ambition to make books available to all.
All the sculptures went for well above the estimated £1000 starting price, with the sculpture depicting Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure story, Treasure Island, fetching the most at £13,000.
J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan sold for £12,000, while Tam O'Shanter by Robert Burns went for £10,000, Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie fetched £9,000 and Lanark by Alasdair Gray was bought for £6,500.
All proceeds from the sale will go to Scottish Book Trust, which promotes the enjoyment of reading and the importance of literacy.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, commented: "Scottish Book Trust is thrilled that our rare book sculptures have raised so much for our major fundraising campaign.
"Thanks to the generous bids, we will be able to provide even more books to those who need them most, though food banks, local authorities and other partners, and deliver more of our life-changing work.
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"We're incredibly grateful to the artist for allowing us to auction her beautiful sculptures, and to Lyon & Turnbull for their support. We hope the successful bidders enjoy these rare works of art, and we thank them for supporting the work of our charity."
Cathy Marsden, a specialist in rare books at Lyon & Turnbull, who has organised the auction, said: "It was a pleasure to be involved in the sale of these stunning paper sculptures.
"Media across the UK really got behind the sale, covering it extensively, which has helped to raise a tremendous amount of money.
"The funds will help Scottish Book Trust in its vital work to bring books to all."
The book sculptures were originally commissioned in 2012 by Scottish Book Trust to mark the first ever Book Week Scotland.
The mysterious artist, who is known to be a woman, first came to the public's attention when she secretly deposited her book sculptures around cultural venues in Edinburgh throughout 2011.
During Book Week Scotland in 2012, the commissioned sculptures were discovered in a different location around the country by members of the public.
