A first edition copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula with a fascinating inscription will appear at a UK auction on January 31.

Despite its relatively poor condition, the book is still expecting strong results due to its inscription

The book will sell for around £10,000 ($16,000). It is inscribed to novelist and playwright Lucy Clifford (1846-1929), who was well known for her circle of literary friends.

The full inscription reads, "Mrs W K Clifford with Uncle Bram's love 15 July 1897" and has been written on the free endpaper.

Lucy Clifford was the wife of William Kingdom Clifford, an English mathematician and philosopher who died aged just 33 in 1879. Following his death, Mrs W K Clifford established herself as a successful writer, boasting over 15 titles to her name.

The modified desk on which Bram Stoker first wrote Dracula appeared at a December 2012 auction in Los Angeles.