A rare 15th century illustrated history of the world has sold for a record price, according to an auctioneer.

A copy of the Nuremberg Chronicle (or Liber chornicarum) from July 1493 was sold for £90,000 to a private telephone buyer at Hartley’s autumn fine sale in Ilkley.

Regarded as the most lavishly illustrated text of the 15th century, only about 400 of the original 1,400 to 1,500 copies still exist.

Written in Latin, the book by a German called Hartmann Schedel, was complete and in a fine condition considering it is more than 520-years-old.

The book, which features hundreds of illustration was part of an estate of a Guiseley woman, who died recently but could trace her family back to the 14th century.

The private buyer fought off “intense” opposition at the sale to buy the book, at a world-record price.

“It was a record price for the saleroom, but more importantly it was a world record price for the book,” said Andrew Hartley of Hartley’s.

In Germany, the book is known as Schedel’s World History, after the author.

It was produced in Nuremberg by Michael Wolgemut and published by Anton Koberger, who owned a series of printing presses across Europe. The book was the star lot in the special section devoted to books which occurs in Ilkley every September.

Other items from the same deceased estate included seven 18th century pamphlets relating to Pontefract selling at £850, and Loyal Volunteers of London Environs Infantry and Cavalry 1799, by R Ackerman, which found £5,200.

Also from this source were the seven volumes of the Scaitcliffe Armoury and Trophies of Antiquity, a collection of entries, much of them pasted in, to form the list of the contents of the old family museum at Todmorden, dispersed and sold up in 1892.