RARE journals by Selkirk explorer Mungo Park are the star buys in this week's annual Christian Aid booksale.

Hundreds of volunteers and experts have been sorting and pricing over 60,000 donated books and collectables for the fundraiser in Edinburgh.

Amongst the other highlights is a a first edition Winnie-the-Pooh written by AA Milne and published in 1926, bound in green cloth, embossed with gilt, in the original dust jacket designed by E H Shepard.

Another rare find is a complete set of his Stories of the Kings of Norway, known as The Saga Library, by visionary Victorian designer and political activist, William Morris.

But the two historic books written by Mungo Park - Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa and The Journal of a Mission to the Interior of Africa, published in 1799, are expected to attract the most interest.

Christian Aid sales convener Mary Davidson told us: “Traditionally the sale is a celebration of Scots history and literature with a wealth of Scottish books for collectors.

"Outstanding are the two magnificent volumes, with his ground-breaking maps, of the works of heroic Scots explorer Mungo Park of Selkirk.

“In 1795, he travelled to West Africa in search of the source of the River Niger.

"The 24-year-old explored the area, now known as Senegal and Mali, where no European had ever been, mapping it and recording the expedition whist enduring terrible adversity.

"He made two expeditions there, the second in 1804, and although he traced the River Niger to its source, he perished horribly in its rapids in 1806. The story of this Borders Scot, friend of Sir Walter Scott, is a tremendous one.

"It is a privilege for us to be able to offer these books for sale."

The Christian Aid Week Book Sale, one of the largest charity book sales in the world, will open at 10am on Saturday at St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, George Street, Edinburgh.

The annual sale, which includes antiques, pictures, records, sheet music and toys started 43 years ago, and has raised several million pounds for Christian Aid.

James Holloway, former director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and convener of the sale of pictures, added “Every year the sale includes paintings guaranteed to delight. "This year is no exception. There are views from all across Scotland from the Firth of Clyde to the beaches of Gullane and Portobello, from the Highlands to the Borders.

"This is a chance to buy a work by a celebrated artist at a very reasonable price. And every pound spent, of course, helps to alleviate suffering across the world."