As opera fan Fred Harrop, of Stockport, Greater Manchester, approached his 80th birthday his friends clubbed together to buy him a special present: a book about a high-flying opera singer.

They ordered through the internet a copy of Cinderella and Company: Backstage at the Opera with Cecilia Bartoli, and the parcel was despatched direct from Amazon.com, complete with a message saying: "We hope you enjoy this book."

Mr Harrop opened the package and was taken aback by the title, Nerve: Literate Smut, Fiction, Essay and Photographs by Genevieve Field, astonished by the chapter headings, Diary of a Nude Girl, A Day in the Life of a Sex Addict, Yuppie Sex and Snapshots of a Lusty Lady, and gobsmacked by the illustrations, 35 pictures of homosexual and heterosexual sex.

Mr Harrop said: "I know the people who sent the present very well and I knew they wouldn't send me that kind of thing. I thought it could have been a joke but they are not the sort of people who would do that.

"In the last few years, I have had a couple of heart attacks so it's fortunate I'm broadminded. The photos are of a very explicit nature."

The friends were mortified. But when they complained to Amazon, they were told: "Well, if you think Mr Harrop is disappointed, imagine how the guy who got the opera book feels."

Amazon has since apologised for the "inappropriate" comment and the muddle and has sent Mr Harrop a £10 voucher.