A first edition copy of "One Hundred Years of Solitude", Gabriel Garcia Marquez's most acclaimed novel, was stolen early Sunday at the International Book Fair of Bogota, said Alvaro Castillo Granada, the copy owner.

The book fair is running from April 22 to May 4 with tribute to Marquez, the Colombian author who died in 2014, and this very novel.

According to local newspaper El Heraldo, the stolen copy has a dedication of "To Alvaro Castillo, the old-book seller, as yesterday and forever, your friend, Gabo."

It also has a cover different from that of other versions, featuring a boat surrounded by wild plants.

Castillo, who lent the book for its exhibition, said "the copy is invaluable and should not go on sale", adding an official complaint has been filed before authorities.

The book was first published in Buenos Aires in 1967 when Marquez lived in Mexico.