美國之音2007標準下半年ANew Harry Potter Book Breaks Sales Record

New Harry Potter Book Breaks Sales Record

By Zulima Palacio
Washington, D.C.
24 July 2007

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" broke sales records in the U.S and in Britain during it first 24 hours on the market. According to the publisher, Scholastic Corporation, the seventh and final book of the series written by J.K. Rowling sold 8.3 million copies in the U.S. on Saturday (July 21st) and 2.65 million copies in Britain.

Children around the world waited in long lines to get a copy of the final book in the Harry Potter series. An executive from the publisher compared the excitement, anticipation and plain hysteria of the book's release to the Beatles' first visit to the U.S.

The new book topped last year's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" as the fastest-selling book in history.

The Harry Potter series of books, movies and CDs has become a multi-billion dollar franchise. According to Bloomberg, a financial information network, the Harry Potter series has sold more than 325 million books worldwide since 1997, making it the biggest children's book series ever.

Nielsen BookScan says all the figures were provisional and that full and final numbers will be announced later this week. In the meantime, Potter-mania continues in bookstores around the world.