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A rare and valuable book is about to be sold at auction, and it has a fascinating story behind it. The book is a first edition of 'Orlando,' a famous novel by Virginia Woolf. What makes this copy unique is that Virginia Woolf herself signed it and gave it to her cook and housekeeper, Nellie Boxall. Inside the book, there is a handwritten note that says 'Nellie Boxall from Virginia Woolf,' dated 11 October 1928. This book is part of a collection that also includes old black and white photographs connected to Nellie. The collection is expected to sell for as much as £2,000 at Ewbank's auction house in Woking, Surrey, on 26 March.

The auction also features a signed biography given to Nellie by the famous actor Charles Laughton and his wife, actress Elsa Lanchester. Nellie worked for them after her time with the Woolfs. The biography, called 'Charles Laughton and I,' was published in 1938 and is signed by both Laughton and Lanchester. There are also two publicity postcards of the couple included in the sale. Nellie Boxall became a well-known figure in her own right, thanks to her connections with Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Set, a group of writers and artists who were very influential in the early 20th century. Nellie was born in Farncombe, the youngest of ten children. After her mother died, she started working as a servant, first for the painter and art critic Roger Fry. It was at Fry's house that Nellie met her lifelong friend, Lottie Hope, who appears in some of the photographs with her and members of Virginia Woolf's family.

Nellie worked as a cook and housekeeper for Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard for 18 years. Their relationship was sometimes stormy, with Woolf writing in her diaries that Nellie gave notice to leave her job many times. Despite their disagreements, it is clear that Nellie was much more than just a servant. Auction specialist Denise Kelly described the collection as a 'wonderful time capsule' that brings Nellie's story back to life nearly 100 years later. She said that both Virginia Woolf and the Laughtons treated Nellie as a respected and loved member of their households. This auction is a chance to remember Nellie Boxall and her important role in the lives of some of the most famous people of her time.