Biography tops 2002 bestseller list

Pamela Stephenson's biography of her husband Billy Connolly has been revealed as the best-selling book of 2002.

The book, Billy, even outstripped Harry Potter by more than 50,000 copies, breaking the teenage wizard's three-year reign at the top of the chart.

Stephenson's book sold 517,811 copies this year. Nick Hornby's How To Be Good was second, selling 477,522, then Ian McEwan's novel Atonement and Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets.

The biography of the 60-year-old comic was top of the hardback bestseller list in 2001, shifting 284,058 copies in just three months.

The British bestseller list is compiled by Nielsen BookScan, which continually monitors sales at more than 6,000 bookshops.

To buy Billy at Amazon.co.uk

Published: 20 Dec 2002