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Cover design unveiled for new Harper Lee novel "Go Set a Watchman"

Suzanne Marques reports on the day's top entertainment stories
Harper Lee novel cover unveiled 00:52

The cover for Harper Lee's new novel will surely remind you of the cover for her old one.

On Wednesday, HarperCollins unveiled the jacket art for Lee's "Go Set a Watchman," the unexpected follow-up to her classic "To Kill a Mockingbird." The new cover, like the one for "To Kill a Mockingbird," is a moody illustration featuring an oak tree in front. The art for "Go Set a Watchman" also shows train tracks and a train in the distance.

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The cover artwork for Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman." HarperCollins

In a statement released by HarperCollins, company President Michael Morrison noted that "Go Set a Watchman" begins with "Mockingbird" protagonist Scout Finch returning by train 20 years later, in the 1950s, to her native Alabama.

HarperCollins has announced a first printing of 2 million copies and a July 14 publication date.

Amid concerns that Lee was not involved in the decision to publish a second novel, the publisher issued a statement last month relayed by her attorney in which she says she is "happy as hell" about the response to "Go Set a Watchman." Friends of the intensely private author have also said she's aware of everything.

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