A well-thumbed Harry Potter book which was sold for a few pence by a library could now be worth up to £10,000.

The rare first edition of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone started its life in the children's section of a small branch library near Worthing.

It joined a collection of titles taken off the shelves to be replaced by new copies.

The first Harry Potter story and three subsequent tales have made writer JK Rowling world famous.

While it may not be the millions the author has made, gallery owner John Brandler is pleased with the cash he stands to make from the book the library service may have sold for as little as 20p.

Mr Brandler paid £1,500 for the ex-library book at an auction sale.

The copy is one of an estimated 300 which started life on the shelves of libraries nationwide including Goring.

That was in 1997 when no one had heard of Harry or Ms Rowling and the book is thought to have been put in a sale with other titles, which were too battered to stay on the shelves.

Now Harry is a firm favourite with children around the world and a big budget Hollywood movie is due out later this year.

That is good news for Mr Brandler who has had several enquiries from America about the book at the gallery he runs in Brentwood, Essex. He spotted the Harry Potter tale when he visited an auction intending to purchase artwork.

Mr Brandler said: "I decided to bid for it because I realised how important it could be.

"It was probably originally sold from one of those tables you see in libraries where slightly battered and well-used books are sold off for 20p.

"But it would be interesting to know about the children at Goring who were among the first in the world to read the book because they helped create what has become a publishing phenomena."

Mr Brandler reckons the first edition could sell for between £5,000 and £10,000 and said he would like to see it stay in England.

He does not blame the West Sussex library service for missing out on the chance of getting enough money to buy several hundred new books for its shelves.

He said: "In England we publish more books per head of population than America and there is no way of choosing which first editions to keep back."

A spokesman for West Sussex Library Service said books were regularly sold when they were no longer in a suitable condition for the shelves.

He said: "We get thousands of new books all the time and we just cannot predict which are going to be a success.

"If we did not have occasional clear-outs we would have books stacked up everywhere.

"However, if this chap wants to share his luck by making a donation to the library then he is very welcome to do so."