Lost treasure of Charlotte Bronte coming home to Haworth after not being seen for over a century

But one collection of poetry by Charlotte Bronte, feared lost, has never been published, photographed, transcribed or even summarised - until now.

“A Book of Ryhmes [sic] by Charlotte Bronte, Sold by Nobody, and Printed by Herself” is coming home to Haworth following a $1.25m sale shrouded in mystery.

The tiny book includes 10 handwritten poems from the then 13-year-old Charlotte, the eldest of the three sisters who made it to adulthood.

While the titles - including “The Beauty of Nature” and “On Seeing the Ruins of the Tower of Babel” - have long been known, the book itself has been in private hands for well over a century.

It was last seen in 1916 when it sold at auction in New York for $520 - and nothing had been heard of it since, with Bronte experts fearing it had been lost.

But when the owner found out that some $15m had been raised by charity Friends of National Libraries (FNL) to acquire a separate Bronte collection, part of the Blavatnik Honresfield Library, he instructed his agent to act.

His agent, James Cummins, approached FNL and offered them the exclusive chance to raise $1.25m to buy the tiny book.

In just a few short weeks, the charity raised the funds with contributions chiefly coming from lead donor the Garfield Weston Foundation.

The charity will donate the manuscript to the Brontë Society. where it will be exhibited at the Parsonage in Haworth.

Ann Dinsdale, principal curator of the Brontë Parsonage Museum, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be the recipients of this extraordinary and unexpected donation and wish to thank the generosity of the Friends of the National Libraries and all of the donors who have made it possible.

“It is always emotional when an item belonging to the Brontë family is returned home and this final little book coming back to the place it was written when it had been thought lost is very special for us.”

Geordie Greig, Chairman of FNL, said: “Saving Charlotte Bronte’s little book is a giant gain for Britain.

“To return this literary treasure to the Bronte Parsonage where it was written is important for scholars and also students studying one of our greatest women writers.

“As the leading libraries and literature charity Friends of the National Libraries had the daunting task of raising $1.25m in just two weeks. It is due to wonderfully generous donors that Friends of the National Libraries did raise this sum to buy this rarest of manuscripts and return it to its rightful home.”