Can new Harper Lee novel live up to the hype?

Atticus Finch's struggle to defend a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, seen through the eyes of his daughter Scout, has captivated readers worldwide.

But since the publication of To Kill A Mockingbird its author has mostly stayed out of limelight. That's why the announcement of an unpublished novel - which features Scout as an adult returning to her Alabama home town - has caused such excitement.

Go Set a Watchman - written before To Kill a Mockingbird - will be published in a few months time. The publisher Harper Collins says the manuscript was discovered in what was described as a secure place by Harper Lee's friend and lawyer.

The BBC's Jon Bithrey spoke to Dr Andrew Crank, an English Professor at the University of Alabama, and asked him what he made of the news.