A charming handwritten letter penned by Roald Dahl to an adoring fan the year before he died saying to 'never shelter children from the world' and revealing his secret to writing bestselling books has gone under the hammer.
The iconic children's author replied to student Christine Wotton in 1989 after she found his address in the back of an old library book while she was at university.
The fascinating letter gives a rare insight into the novelist's opinion of his own books and his determination to get children reading.
In the handwritten note, Dahl - considered one of the world's best storytellers - frankly admits his work had 'very few messages' and was 'mostly pure fantasy'.