Austen outbids Potter

When classic literature goes head-to-head with a modern favourite, Jane Austen can still beat young whippersnapper Harry Potter.

A first edition of Pride And Prejudice fetched £22,000 at auction yesterday, while an uncorrected proof of the boy wizard's first adventure - Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone - sold for just £2,600.

Austen's work, printed in 1813, was expected to sell for about £12,000. It was one of several rarities found in a dusty collection by expert John Sibbald, of Edinburgh auctioneer Lyon and Turnbull - and the second first edition of the work he had discovered within 12 months.

The 58-year-old unearthed another Pride And Prejudice first edition at a car boot sale in Ayrshire. He said: 'Generally speaking, lightning doesn't strike twice but it seems to be striking fairly regularly now.'