All those headlines | Comment Central: Palin and Africa

Obamamania has left newsstands across the US empty and newspapers rushing to print thousands of extra copies as Americans hurried to buy souvenir editions celebrating the election of the first black president.

The New York Times, Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times were widely sold out by mid-morning as Americans woke up wanting to commemorate the landmark in US history.

In Barack Obama’s hometown the demand was even greater with the Chicago Tribune restarting its presses to print an extra 200,000, ten times the expected increase. Still they sold out.

Randy Michaels, the Tribune’s Chief Operating Officer, said: "This kind of demand for our newspapers is unlike anything we've experienced."

Hundreds of copies of newspapers printed on November 5, many featuring enormous portraits of the 44th president of the United States, were selling at vastly inflated prices on internet trading sites.

On eBay, entrepreneurs were selling copies of all the national papers and commemorative editions for around $20, while one seller was offering a bundle of 620 Chicago Tribunes for $1,499.99.

The New York Times and The Washington Post put out special commemorative editions when readers clamoured for more. Newspapers in San Francisco, Seattle, and Denver were also among those selling out and printing special editions. Thousands of extra copies were printed in Baltimore, Hartford, Connecticut, and Orlando, Florida.

The Tribune featured a nearly full-page colour photo of Obama with the headline "Obama, Our Next President" and the Chicago Sun-Times used a full-page photograph of Obama which the legend: "Mr. President".

Most papers outside Illinois also devoted their entire front pages to a single photo of Obama — in the San Francisco Chronicle's case, it was overlaid with "OBAMA" in enormous type and a quote from his acceptance speech: "Change has come to America.".

USA Today declared, "America makes history." Its publishers have promised to continue to reprint and sell its special edition through its website.

The New York Times printed an additional 75,000 copies for sale in New York when vending machines and newsagents sold out by before lunch. The Washington Post decided at midday to publish 350,000 copies of a slimmed-down commemorative edition.

In Washington, DC, a Post vendor was attempting to ration his copies as they ran out.

"I got a guy who wanted to buy the whole bundle," Tony Portillo said. "I said, 'I can't sell it. I have more people coming. I'll sell you five.'"

In the UK, early estimates for sales of The Times indicated a marked increase in circulation yesterday.

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