Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Go Set A Watchman: Fans queue around the world for release of Harper Lee's new novel

Pre-sales of the novel are on track to out-perform Harry Potter in the UK

Daisy Wyatt
Tuesday 14 July 2015 10:13 BST
Comments
Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman goes on sale

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Harper Lee's anticipated second novel Go Set A Watchman went on sale across the world at midnight on Monday 13 July.

Fans queued to get their hands on the hardback edition of the novel, which was discovered by Lee's lawyer lying in a safe-deposit box in 2014.

The novel is set 20 years after the events of To Kill A Mockingbird, but was written five years or so before the publication of Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning book in 1960.

Go Set A Watchman is the biggest release in the book-selling world since the final Harry Potter book in 2007.

Monroeville, Alabama - Harper Lee's hometown

Tony Lyerly, of Decatur, Alabama, sits and waits with his granddaughter Mariah Lyerly, 3, before the midnight book release of Go Set A Watchman
Tony Lyerly, of Decatur, Alabama, sits and waits with his granddaughter Mariah Lyerly, 3, before the midnight book release of Go Set A Watchman (AP)

Judy May, of Monroeville, Alabama, laughs walking up the stairs as the second person to receive a copy of Go Set a Watchman in Harper Lee's hometown
Judy May, of Monroeville, Alabama, laughs walking up the stairs as the second person to receive a copy of Go Set a Watchman in Harper Lee's hometown (AP)

Decatur, Georgia

Book enthusiasts pick up their copies of Go Set A Watchman at the Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia
Book enthusiasts pick up their copies of Go Set A Watchman at the Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia (EPA)

London, UK

British book lovers queue to buy Harper Lee's new novel in Foyles, London
British book lovers queue to buy Harper Lee's new novel in Foyles, London (Getty Images)

Book fans queue at Foyles, Charing Cross Road in London to get their hands on the new Harper Lee novel
Book fans queue at Foyles, Charing Cross Road in London to get their hands on the new Harper Lee novel (Getty Images)

Hong Kong

A bookseller displays copies of Go Set A Watchman before the midnight release of Harper Lee's novel
A bookseller displays copies of Go Set A Watchman before the midnight release of Harper Lee's novel (Getty Images)

Seoul, South Korea

A South Korean bookseller lays out copies of Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman
A South Korean bookseller lays out copies of Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman (Getty Images)

Sydney, Australia

Go Set A Watchman copies on show in Sydney, Australia before the midnight release of the novel
Go Set A Watchman copies on show in Sydney, Australia before the midnight release of the novel (Getty Images)

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in