The Bronte Parsonage has just a few days to raise enough cash to bring a bit of Bronte history back to Haworth.

On Monday one of Charlotte Brontë’s ‘little books’, written in 1830 when the author was 14-years-old, will go to auction in Paris.

It is expected to sell for at least £650,000, and the Bronte Parsonage has been gathering support and funds to buy the artefact.

The tiny manuscript, which features three intricately hand-written stories, has remained in private ownership since it left Haworth following the deaths of the Brontës. It came to light when it came up for auction at Sotheby’s in 2011 when the Museum was outbid by a now non-operational investment scheme.

The book, which measures no more than 35mm x 61mm, consists of 20 pages and comprises three stories, ‘A letter from Lord Charles Wellesley’, ‘The Midnight Song’ and ‘Journal of a Frenchman [continued]’.

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Kersten England, CEO City of Bradford Council, is supporting the bid to bring the book back to the District. She said: “The Bronte sisters have had a huge influence in my life - not just as authors of great literature but as pioneering women who paved the way for so many others.

"The Brontes’ connection to Bradford is very precious and to have Charlotte’s little book where it was first created would only strengthen the Bronte story and its ability to inspire future generations to pursue their dreams.”

Ann Dinsdale, Principal Curator at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, comments: “These little books are enormously important to both visitors and scholars. The four that we are fortunate enough to own are some of our most popular exhibits and to see this volume of The Young Men’s Magazine reunited with the others in our collection would be wonderful.

"If we are successful, it would be one of the most important things to happen in the 30 years I’ve worked at the Parsonage; a real highlight.”

To support the fundraising scheme visit https://www.bronte.org.uk/support-us/donate