So-called ‘mummy porn’ novel 50 Shades of Grey has overtaken Harry Potter to become the fastest-selling paperback of all time.
The erotic book is the first in British author EL James’ X-rated trilogy and this week beat previous records set by JK Rowling and The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown.
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James — a 49-year-old mother of two whose real name is Erika Mitchell — says she wrote the book to offer women a “holiday from their husbands”.
The novel is about Ana Steele, a young female virgin who begins a depraved sexual relationship with a much older billionaire, Christian Grey.
Readers are given every filthy detail of the couple’s numerous romps, complete with explicit language. Many of their encounters involve sado-masochism and scenes that wouldn’t be out of place in a hard-core porn film.
Initially, sales of the story were limited to the discreet e-book variety but hard copies are now flying off the shelves.
Fifty Shades of Grey and its two sequels 50 Shades Darker and 50 Shades Freed are the top three books on the Dymocks Bestseller list and it’s hard to find a bus, plane or train in the country that doesn’t have someone reading a copy on board.
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