For a woman who once admitted she had never read a book in her life, Victoria Beckham is quite the literary sensation.

Here she is at a signing of her new book, surrounded by hundreds of fans waiting for a copy of her debut style guide.

In all, 3,000 fans turned up at Selfridges, setting a new store record for a signing.

See more pictures from the book signing here

Not bad for a woman whose solo singing career is in freefall and whose husband seems to have his own reserved seat on the bench at Real Madrid.

Of course it might be suggested that some fans turned up just because they wanted to be absolutely sure it was true that Victoria had written a book. After all, while an autobiography was published under her name a few years ago, one could be forgiven for believing that the nearest Mrs Beckham ever came to a lengthy piece of continuous prose was the tattoo down the back of her neck.

(That, by the way, is in Hebrew, and means "I am my beloved and my beloved is mine". Her book, That Extra Half An Inch: Hair, Heels, and Everything In Between, is in English - no, really - and means whatever you want it to mean).

The fans, though, could not get enough of Victoria and her book.

Some queued on Oxford Street for over 12 hours to make sure they got their signed book, and by 4pm yesterday every single copy had been sold. Foyles, the store's new bookseller, had to ship in another 1,000 copies for the event last night.

In a sleeveless black dress with a frilled neck, a large bowed belt and black stilettos - if there isn't a chapter in the book on how to dress for a book launch, there should be - Victoria stayed at the store until they had all been signed.

Her book is described by the publishers as a "revealing and practical" guide to "fashion, beauty and style". In it she "shares her secrets" on dressing for special occasions, accessorising and making the most of your wardrobe.

It is described by the critics in entirely different terms, but then if Mrs Beckham - or indeed Lady Beckham, as she has just revealed she would like to be called - worried about the critics she probably would not get out of bed in the morning.

Among the fans was Kirstie Hansen, 14, of Maida Vale. Kirstie said: "She looked stunning and was really nice. She asked me my name and that was it. We were only there for a few seconds, but it was worth the wait." Four men travelled from Valencia in Spain after spotting the event on a fan internet forum and had queued since early in the morning.

Javier Montagud, 26, said: "We are huge fans of the Spice Girls and it has been 10 years since they started so it's the perfect time to meet Victoria. She is a fashion icon - I mean, come on, she's Posh Spice!"

Aaron Husser, 21, travelled from Manchester. He said: "She is absolutely beautiful. I think she's amazing. The Spice Girls were amazing too. I think she should bring them back."