'Wrong name' Harry Potter book sold

The author is named as J A Rowling

An uncorrected proof copy of the first Harry Potter book - with the author's name spelled wrongly - has sold for £1,250 at auction.

The rare edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone went under the hammer at Bonhams in Bath on Monday.

It was bought by Larry Castle, an American who lives in Somerset.

Auctioneers believed the misspelling of author J K Rowling's name - she is listed as J A Rowling on the book's title page - would attract special interest.

Collectors and dealers from the USA, Australia and the UK were at the auction.

Gill Atkins, spokeswoman for Bonhams, said: "These books are very scarce - only a few hundred of them were ever printed.

"They were given to people who took them around to see how popular the book was going to be."