Potter first editions fetch £17K

Rowling has written seven Harry Potter books

A signed set of first edition Harry Potter books fetched £17,800 when they went under the hammer in Berkshire.

The set of seven hardbacks, published by Bloomsbury, went on sale at Cameo Fine Art Auctioneers in Midgham on Tuesday.

Each illustrated cover has been signed by the celebrated author JK Rowling without a dedication.

A spokesman at the auction house said the figure did not include the buyer's premium - an extra 15% plus VAT.

Last month, an 800-word Harry Potter prequel written by JK Rowling was sold at auction for £25,000 to raise money for charity.

Last December, another of her stories, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, fetched £1.95m at auction.