EXCITEMENT levels reached fever-pitch as a book launch described as ‘bigger than Harry Potter’ came to Oxford.

Fans have been waiting a decade to get their hands on a copy of Oxford author Philip Pullman’s new novel La Belle Sauvage, the first in the ‘Book of Dust’ series, a prequel to his best-selling His Dark Materials trilogy.

More than 100 people queued up outside Oxford’s bookshops, which held special openings at one minute past midnight today to sell copies of the book.

Mr Pullman’s favourite bookshop Blackwell’s said it had ‘more than 100 people’ queueing outside its Broad Street shop and had already sold hundreds of copies.

Deputy Manager Zool Verjee felt the Oxford connection had made it a bigger launch than the Harry Potter series for the historic bookshop.

He said: “The intention was for people to buy the book and snuggle up in a corner of the shop and devour its opening chapters.

“It’s the publishing event of the year and is extra special because it’s set in Oxford and all the landmarks are familiar to people but in a parallel world.”

At Waterstones in Broad Street, 40 people queued in the October chill to buy a copy.

The shop front has been specially painted with boats and waves for the occasion by artist Chris Wormell.

Among the fans were Richard Venables, 50, and daughter Charlotte, 15, from Islip whose shared love of the His Dark Materials books brought them out to their first late-night opening.

Mr Venables, a chartered surveyor, said he thinks Mr Pullman ranks alongside other great Oxford authors including J.R.R Tolkien and C.S Lewis.

Larkrise Primary School teacher Ed Finch, 46, from Florence Park, decided last minute to buy the book after he was up late marking school work.

He paid £35 for special signed edition but said he hadn’t had a chance to read it because he had ‘gone straight to bed’.

Reviews of the book have been positive with the New York Times describing it as ‘brilliant yet disturbing’.

Becky Kelly, the manager of Waterstones Oxford, said: “The reception has been overwhelmingly positive, the book looks beautiful and from the small amount I was able to read before giving into sleep, it will not disappoint.”