Ananova:

Beatles fans are flocking into stores to get their hands on the story of the band told in their own words for the first time.

Many stores threw open their doors at midnight, playing the group's hits to build the sense of occasion as The Beatles Anthology went on sale.

However, in their home city of Liverpool, the publication of the £35 volume did not appear to have been so keenly anticipated.

The Church Street branch of WH Smith held a midnight opening but sold just five copies, with only one man waiting for the doors to open.

Paul Ashcroft, 26, from Old Swan in Liverpool, who was one of the buyers at the store, said: "The people of Liverpool have let us down - it's part of our heritage."

Surviving Beatles Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison give their own versions of the group's history in the book, and worked closely with John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono.

Kim Hardie of Waterstone's, which opened many of its shops around the UK for the launch at midnight, was at the opening of the company's London Piccadilly branch.

She said: "We had people hammering on the doors at 11.55pm desperate to get in. People were really getting whipped up into a frenzy. It was a brilliant atmosphere.

"Many of the customers were coming in and grabbing two or more copies at a time. We also noticed there were quite a few overseas customers who might have thought it was easier to buy the book here than at home.

"Our Sauchiehall branch in Glasgow was full of fanatical Beatles fans and they were so pleased to be able to go to a launch party."