Author of To Kill a Mockingbird to publish second novel

New York — To Kill a Mockingbird will not be Harper Lee's only published book after all.

Publisher Harper announced on Tuesday that Go Set a Watchman, a novel the Pulitzer Prize-winning author completed in the 1950s and put aside, will be released on 14 July.

Rediscovered last fall, Go Set a Watchman is essentially a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, although it was finished earlier. The 304-page book will be Lee's second, and the first new work in more than 50 years.

"The existence of Go Set a Watchman was unknown until recently, and its discovery is an extraordinary gift," Harper publisher Jonathan Burnham said in a statement.

To Kill a Mockingbird is among the most beloved novels in history, with worldwide sales topping 40 million copies.