Many shops in Scotland had sold out of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by yesterday afternoon.

It seemed that some stores just couldn't provide enough copies as fans continued to stream through the doors.

Gabrielle Balfour, "Harry Potter Champion" and senior book seller at Waterstone's at the east end of Princes Street in Edinburgh, said copies had continued to fly off the shelves until they sold out about 1pm. "We had a little girl crying because they'd all gone," she said.

"I am not surprised they all went," she said, adding they could probably have sold close to double the number of copies they had ordered. She believed it was already proving difficult to find copies of the new book and that many shops in Edinburgh had been completely cleaned out, from WH Smith in Waverley Station to John Lewis in the St James Centre.

Neil Johnstone, manager of the George Street branch of Waterstone's, said: "Harry Potter is a three-day phenomenon. Everybody tries to get it very quickly, then it tails off."

Sales were still very steady all day yesterday, although at a much slower pace than Saturday. "On Saturday, we were selling as many as it was physically possible to sell. Now we have been selling probably about 30 or 40 an hour. Steady, but not as intense."

Niall Anderson, from Prestonpans, had been reading a copy belonging to 11-year-old Jordan, his girlfriend's brother, but had been firmly told to go and buy his own copy.

He said: "I have read them all and this seems to be pretty good as well." He was struggling to stop his girlfriend telling him what happened as she had sneaked a peak at the last page.

James Milne, a 12-year-old from central Edinburgh, had picked up his copy on Saturday morning but on a family trip into Waterstone's yesterday he picked up another one to continue the young wizard's adventures in a quiet corner. He said: "It is really good. I have read them all and it is even better than I expected it to be so far."

Stacey Manclark, from Newington, had looked in a few shops before finding one on Sunday. She hoped all the threads would be brought together in the last series and, having cried when Dumbledore died in the sixth book, was fairly sure she would be moved by this one as well. Danielle Sowersby, from Livingston, was already half way through and said: "I am a big Harry Potter fan and it is great so far."

As millions rushed to buy their new copies, a rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second book in the series, was donated to Oxfam, on South Street, in St Andrews. It was to go on sale today and it was hoped that the hardback copy would raise hundreds of pounds in a silent auction being organised by the shop. The auction will close at 5pm on July 28. According to experts, it could fetch more than £600 and perhaps as much as £1500.

Last month a first edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, one of only 500 produced in the first print run in 1997, sold for £9000 at an auction in London.