Fans queue up for Go Set a Watchman novel in Harper Lee's hometown of Monroeville

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Crowds gathered in Harper Lee's hometown of Monroeville novel's launch
Many waited in the humid summer weather to be the first to buy the book
The first customers to buy novel were sisters Judy May and Julia Stroud
Monroeville has planned a full day of celebrations in honour of the book

Published: 07:02 EST, 14 July 2015 | Updated: 20:00 EST, 14 July 2015

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Crowds gathered in the hometown of Harper Lee to be the first ones to get their hands on a copy of her new novel 'Go Set a Watchman' as it went on sale worldwide.

Many lined up for hours outside Ol' Curiosities & Book Shoppe in Monroeville, Alabama as the novel went on sale at midnight.

Miss Lee's hometown was the model for the fictional town of Maycomb, which features in the book and in her previous novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

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Staff at Ol' Curiosities & Book Shoppe in Monroeville, Alabama, the hometown of Harper Lee, begin unpacking copies of her new novel 'Go Set a Watchman'

Crowds gathered outside the book shop in the humid summer weather where Julia Stroud became the first in line to buy the book

Ms Stoud was followed into the shop by her sister Judy May, who is from Monroeville and says she can't wait to read the book

Many waited in the humid summer weather as an Atticus Finch impersonator entertained the crowd, with some who came as dressed as other characters.

The town of Monroeville has a full day of celebrations including readings, walking tours and a mint julep cocktail hour outside the old courthouse.

Miss Lee, 89, still lives in the town and is expected to spend today as normal at the assisted living facility where she stays.

The first two customers to buy their copy of Go Set a Watchman were Judy May and her sister Julia Stroud, who also count Monroeville as their hometown.

Harper Lee's long awaited 'Go Set a Watchman' hits stores

Ms Stroud takes her copy of Go Set a Watchman to the cash register to become the first in Monroeville to buy the book

Ms Stroud proudly holds up her copy of the book. Monroeville was the model for the fictional town of Maycomb, which features in both books

Monroeville resident surprised Lee is releasing a sequel

As she walked outside the bookstore, Ms May, 51, said: 'I'm so excited, I'm shaking.'

But as well as excitement among fans, there was trepidation and disbelief that Atticus Finch, is portrayed as a racist in the latest novel.

Ms May, who has tried to stay away from spoilers, said: 'Atticus has been a hero-type person through our lives here in Monroe County and the whole world actually.

'But at the same time, you have to kind of remind yourself he was human at the time he was raised.'

While Cher Caldwell, an English teacher who travelled from Kentucky, added: 'I'm nervous. I'm reserving opinion but I'm ready to be mad. He's the epitome of the moral compass.

A bookworm firmly grasps her copy of the new book at the Little Shop of Stories in Decatur in Georgia at midnight

Book shops across the United States opened at midnight so Harper Lee fans could start to read the eagerly anticipated novel

Prior to the book going on sales, a Barnes and Noble store in Los Angeles held a To Kill a Mockingbird read-a-thon

Jan Anderson, 48, said she wants to see what became of the characters that she fell in love when she read 'Mockingbird' in high school, saying she always imagined that the opinioned Scout Finch became a lawyer or some sort of crusader for justice.

'I'm going to have it read in a couple of hours,' Ms Anderson said.

The book shop, located near the courthouse square in Monroeville, ordered more than 10,000 copies of 'Watchman' in a town with a population of less than 6,300.

The new book was written years before 'Mockingbird,' and contains seeds of the story that eventually became a classic staple of literature.

A woman can't wait to start reading 'Go Set a Watchman' as she waits to pay at Foyles book shop in London

Stores across the world in cities such as London, Sydney and Hong Kong opened early to sell the book

The new novel traces character Scout Finch's return home to the fictional town of Maycomb in the 1950s.

Bookstores all over the US opened at midnight so eager fans could get hold of a copy of the book.

Hundreds also lined up in Decatur in Georgia at a store so they could be one of the first to read the book.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Harper Lee fans held a To Kill a Mockingbird read-a-thon in anticipation of midnight.

Elsewhere in the UK, Waterstones had 11 branches opening at midnight and its flagship store in London's Piccadilly hosted a series of talks about the classic novel and screened the 1962 film version.

Author Harper Lee still lives in Monroeville and she is expected to spend the day at the assisted living facility where she stays

Britain's largest independent chain Foyles also had a 'Southern-themed' midnight opening at its flagship London store on Charing Cross Road.

Previously, the bookseller had only opened at midnight for the release of novels by JK Rowling and Haruki Murakami.

Stores in Sydney and Hong Kong also opened early to deal with demand.

US publisher HarperCollins claims pre-orders for the novel are the highest in company history with two million in the US, while Amazon has announced they are the strongest since the final Harry Potter installment (which was two million).

Trailer for the iconic novel turned film 'To Kill a Mockingbird'