London - British police have arrested a man in connection with the theft from a university library 10 years ago of a collection of works by William Shakespeare described as the "most important book in the English language," police said Friday.

The 51-year-old man, who claimed to have acquired the 1623 first folio volume in Cuba, was arrested following a tip-off from library staff in Washington DC, where he had presented the material to staff at the Folger Shakespeare Library with a request for valuation.

Police in Durham, north-east England, said the man was arrested in the town of Washington, near Durham, on Thursday after the British embassy in Washington DC alerted Durham Police to the find two weeks ago.

The Durham Police spokesman said officers were working closely with the FBI in the United States.

The 1623 first folio of a collection of works by William Shakespeare was one of a number of literary works taken from Durham University in December 1998.

The BBC said the folio was estimated to be worth 15 million pounds (30 million dollars).

A police spokesman in Durham said a man, claiming to be an international businessman who had acquired the volume in Cuba, showed it to staff at a respected Washington DC library and asked them to verify it was genuine.

He agreed to leave it with librarians, whose research revealed it to have been stolen.

A spokesman for Durham University said staff were "rejoicing" following the recovery regarded by many academics as the most important book in the English language.

The stolen items were part of an exhibit of 50 examples of English literature dating from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. (dpa)