John Lewis book sales soar after Donald Trump row

John Lewis hand in hand with Barack and Michelle Obama on the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march in 2015Getty Images

John Lewis hand in hand with Barack and Michelle Obama on the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march in 2015

The civil rights activist John Lewis questioned Donald Trump's right to be president - then saw three of his books soar to the top of Amazon's best-seller list.

John Lewis last week said he would boycott the presidential inauguration in protest at Mr Trump.

Mr Trump responded with typical gusto - via a series of angry tweets.

And the publicity has resulted in Mr Lewis' books topping Amazon's bestseller list in America.

John Lewis has represented the state of Georgia in America's House of Representatives since 1987.

Along with Martin Luther King, he was one of the key leaders of America's civil rights movement in the 1960s which called for an end to racial segregation and was beaten by state troopers during the 1965 civil rights march in Selma, Alabama.

Ahead of Donald Trump's official inauguration as US President on Saturday, Mr Lewis told America's NBC News: "I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president."

Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton received 2.9 million more votes than Mr Trump, but he won a bigger share of the electoral college, so was awarded the presidency.

Mr Trump responded to Mr Lewis' comments by railing against the much-loved veteran congressman - on his favourite medium.

He said Mr Lewis should focus on problems in his own district.

And that he should stop complaining about the election results.

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John Lewis (front far left) at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs & Freedom, where Dr. King gave his iconic 'I Have a Dream' speech

Such is Mr Lewis' popularity, that the incoming president's comments were even criticised by some senior Republicans.

But they have done wonders for his book sales in America.

His graphic memoir trilogy March was a National Book Award finalist and is currently number one on Amazon, while his 1998 book Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement is at number two, as of the early hours of 16 January.

Amazon's US website has listed both books as temporarily out of stock.

The first book of the March trilogy is third on the Amazon bestseller charts.

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