More than 8,000 copies of the hardback had already been sold by HarperCollins, before the error was discovered. According to media reports, specialist typesetter Palimpsest was responsible for the foul up, after it sent the wrong file version to the printer.

According to Franzen, the file submitted contained "small but significant changes" to certain characters but the acclaimed author stressed that the publisher was not at fault.

In a bid to quell public discontent over the production error, HarperCollins has allowed customers to return their copies in exchange for a correct version.

Although there are 80,000 copies of the title in circulation, the publisher will not recall all of books but rather encourage customers to swap their copy if desired.

Palimpsest was unavailable for comment at the time of writing.