News & Articles related to harry Potter

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Posted: 20 years ago

#151

Publisher fights leak of new Harry Potter book

Some copies of the new Harry Potter book have misprints like sideways type, making it a tough read for young fans.

Max Parsons, 11, of New York, sits on the sidewalk as he looks at his copy of 'Goblet of Fire' while waiting in line to purchase a copy of 'the Half-Blood Prince.' (AP / Tina Fineberg)

JK Rowling, author of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, reads to a select group of youngsters at Edinburgh Castle, in the early hours of Saturday. The 70 youngsters in the audience won competitions. (AP / Bloomsbury Press)

Some copies of new Harry Potter book misprinted

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Toronto — Some Harry Potter fans may have found it difficult to decipher the boy wizard's latest adventure.

An unknown number of first edition copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were released with upside-down covers and sideways type.

"All the copy on the inside is printed upside down and skewed to the top," said Sorya Gaulin of Indigo Books and Music, who snapped up a defective copy of the book that she discovered in a store order.

Misprints aren't uncommon in the publishing world and even though the few defective copies are sure to draw special attention among the wizard-wild public, at least one collector says they won't amount to much more than a conversation piece.

"Books are bound upside down all the time. Dust jackets are misprinted, there's crooked type," said Burlington, Ont., bookseller Len Shoup.

A spokesman for Raincoast Books agreed that it's normal a few copies in a print run would have some faults, adding the company will exchange any defective copies of the Potter book.

One of the flawed books was for sale Monday on online auction house EBay, drawing bids of almost $60. The book retails for about $41 in Canada.

Since so many millions of first edition copies have been printed, Shoup suggested the latest Harry adventure holds little interest for collectors.

"In my humble opinion, any copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that came out Friday night at 12:01 isn't going to be worth much more 30 years from now because there are so many copies," he said.

Some 6.9 million first edition copies were sold in the United States over the weekend. More than two million were snapped up in the United Kingdom and Amazon's online book websites sold 1.5 million copies through advance orders. A spokesman for Raincoast said Monday that final numbers weren't yet available for Canada.

A first-printing, first-edition of the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, might be worth upwards of $30,000 US today, Shoup said.

Still, he admits that there may be some Potter fans who see special value in the flawed copies.

"You're dealing with real maniacs when it comes to Harry Potter, so there's no assigning logic to the whole thing."

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sakshi

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Posted: 20 years ago

#152

Harry Potter phenomenon ignites reading

How's this for wizardry? A survey of British educators last week found that 84 percent agree that Harry Potter books help improve child literacy. Fully 67 percent said the Potter books turn non-readers into readers. The sixth installment in the seven-volume collection by author J.K. Rowling, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," went on sale at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. What followed was nothing short of a phenomenon. Both the Barnes & Noble and Borders book chains sold more than a million copies Saturday. Barnes & Noble sold 378,000 books in the first hour; that's about 105 copies per second. In the United States alone, the book sold 6.9 million copies -- easily topping $100 million in sales. Astonishing. That's more than the top movies of the weekend -- "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "The Wedding Crashers" -- brought in combined. The Potter books worldwide have sold 270 million copies in 62 languages. Of that total, 103 million copies have been sold in the United States. The Otis Library in downtown Norwich has multiple copies of all the Potter books -- including 12 copies of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." All of Otis' copies are in English. But given the international popularity of these books, the library should look into obtaining copies in other languages. Questions have been raised concerning the books, in which young Harry is an incipient wizard. Some fundamentalist Christians in 2000 had opposed Harry Potter books, saying he led children into the occult. Roman Catholic Cardinal Josef Ratzinger -- now Pope Benedict XVI -- had suggested in a letter that Potter "could corrupt the Christian faith." Piffle. Most of that opposition has evaporated. It's highly unlikely that youngsters are being led into the occult by Harry Potter. And Ratzinger's letter contained a single sentence that was in response to the loaded questions of an anti-Potter author. A casual observer would have to concede that the Potter books pale when stacked up against other books, music, movies and video games aimed at youngsters and young adults ages 10 to 20. Rowling's formula is simple as it is attractive, and it is this simplicity that has proven enormously engrossing and gratifying reading to readers. She writes of good and evil, friendship and loyalty, courage and perseverance, through the eyes of young Harry Potter. And Potter fans clearly appreciate the clarity with which virtue and vice are drawn. Rowling, who is British, has been instrumental in the revival of reading -- worldwide. And she's been deservedly well compensated. She is the first billionaire author and she enjoys monetary wealth greater than the queen of England. Rowling has made reading an event, and for that parents should be grateful, because it's unlikely that youngsters enchanted with the Potter books will simply put aside reading until the next installment comes out. The Potter books open the door to the cultivation of reading; they are stepping stones to other books on a wealth of topics. The Potter books have caused youngsters worldwide to drop their video games and forego the movies as they experience reading for enjoyment. In the 21st century, that is remarkable.

Harry Potter is a fictitious character. But by capturing the imaginations of youngsters worldwide, J.K. Rowling has demonstrated wizardry of her own.

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sakshi

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Posted: 20 years ago

#153

HARRY POTTER ELUDES MYSORE KIDS

Mysore, July 19 (MRS)- Harry Potter, the darling of kids in about 90 countries, is eluding Mysore. He is unwilling to enter Mysore as he seems to be very busy in Bangalore and elsewhere.
At one particular bookshop, at least 10 book lovers, mainly children, came in search of Harry and returned disappointed.
J.K. Rowling's sixth book in Harry Potter series "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is yet to hit the stands in Mysore.
Following demand for the 600-page book, a book-seller has placed an order with a Bangalore dealer who has not responded, probably due to brisk business in Bangalore.
"We are waiting for the copies, but there is no response yet. Probably, the book is in great demand in Bangalore. There may not be enough copies to supply to Mysore," he added.
There are other book dealers in Mysore awaiting copies. However, there are also dealers who do not venture into promoting, Harry because of its price.

"If it remains unsold we will be losing the investment," he said.

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sakshi

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Posted: 20 years ago

#154

New Potter Raises Concerns Over Piracy

By Bae Keun-min
Staff Reporter Local fans of the Harry Potter series are busy digging into the English edition of the newest book. Others, however, are waiting for the Korean edition to come out, legally or otherwise. ''We have been receiving inquiries constantly as to when the Korean edition of the sixth Harry Potter book will be made available, as the summer vacation has begun, said Kim Eun-kyung, senior manager for foreign rights at Moonhak Soochup Publishing, the company in charge of publishing the Korean edition. While the English version of ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling hits stores worldwide on Saturday, the Korean-translated version of the mega hit book will be released on Nov. 10. But some fans of the little wizard cant wait and have started rummaging through peer-to-peer sites and blogs for pirated Korean editions. ''We had a hard time with the copyright of the fifth book of the Harry Potter series as pirated Korean versions had been floating around on Web sites and blogs, among other places, before an official Korean edition was published, she said. ''We have no way but to make an earnest request to webmasters and operators of Harry Potter fan Web sites to respect the copyright law at this moment. Kim said it is impossible for them to release the Korean version at the same time the English edition is issued as there is an international ''Harry Potter embargo, adding some three to four months time to translate the book. About 8.1 million copies of the Korean edition of the previous five volumes have been sold, according to Kim. The fantasy series has been translated into 62 languages, marking combined sales of some 270 million copies for the first five volumes. The author has earned some $1 billion and become the richest person in Britain. The latest Harry Potter book sold an estimated 9 million copies only in Britain and the United States in its first 24 hours of its release. Kyobo Book Center, one of the largest bookshop chains in the nation, said it sold some 5,500 copies of the English edition for the first three days, including 2,500 reservations for copies before the release. The Chongno shop of Youngpoong Book Store, which didnt receive reservations, retailed some 1,000 copies for the cited period on the spot.

Some 4,200 copies of the book were purchased at online book retailer yes24.com, of which 1,200 copies were sold after July 16.

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Posted: 20 years ago

#155

Pope finds himself pitched against Harry Potter

While the publication of the latest edition of children's author J K Rowling's acclaimed Harry Potter series has been the expected commercial and media sensation, rumours abound that Pope Benedict XVI is less than thrilled by the young wizard's antics – even though he is massively outselling Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code story, a definite subject of Vatican ire.

Press reports are claiming that the Pope believes the Potter stories "deeply distort Christianity in the soul". Other clerics, such as Anglican priest, the Rev Richard Billingshurst, who triggered the scrapping of a school event based on 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince', also say the novels make fun of evil and are harmful.

For a number of years preachers in America's Bible belt have been denouncing young Harry, but other Christians take a very different view. Back in 2002 the Mission Theology Advisory Group of the Church of England and the ecumenical Churches' Commission on Mission produced some reflections on Christian engagement with contemporary culture which said that churches should read Harry Potter as a morality tale.

Author J K Rowling, though she consistently declines to talk about her personal life in public, is reportedly a member of the Scottish Episcopal Church. In the past she has said that those who condemn her work as somehow encouraging children to dabble in the occult have entirely got the wrong end of Harry's stick.

According the US magazine Christianity Today, the latest furore implicating the Pope in anti-Potterism in fact draws on something written by Benedict XVI two years ago, when he was Cardinal Josef Ratzinger. In an exchange of letters he thanks German author Gabriele Kuby for "enlighten[ing] us on the Harry Potter matter."

It is not clear that the Cardinal, now Pope, has ever read the stories. But on matters raised by his correspondent, he writes: "these are subtle, barely perceptible seductions, and precisely because of that they have a profound effect and can corrupt the Christian faith in souls even before it [faith] is able to properly grow.'"

The tenuousness of all this has not stopped some journalists leaping to the conclusion that the Pontiff, formerly head of the Catholic Church's Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has condemned Potter. But it seems that this particular spell may have rather more to do with spin than magic.

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sakshi

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Posted: 20 years ago

#156

'Harry Potter' magic works on all ages

July 19, 2005

By Sky Barsch Times Argus Staff

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," as well as earlier Harry Potter books, occupy a table front-and-center at Rivendell Books in Montpelier.
Photo: Stefan Hard/Times Argus

MONTPELIER - While hundreds of kids in Central Vermont flocked to bookstores and libraries to get their little hands on the latest Harry Potter book Friday night, some bigger sets of hands were reaching for the crazily popular sixth installment of the series as well.

Adults make up a third to half of Harry Potter readers in the area, according to bookstore employees and librarians in central Vermont. And it's not only parents who have been after a copy of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," say area book experts. Many adults in their 20s and 30s, as well as older and kidless adults, are after the book that is part of a cultural phenomenon.

"There's definitely an adult interest," said Robert Kasow, owner of Rivendell Books in Montpelier. "We probably sell as many to adults as to children. It's mainly young adults, in their 20s and early 30s."

The Main Street store, which carries both new and used books, has sold more than 200 copies of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" so far, he said.

Just across the street, at Bear Pond Books, it wasn't just the adult customers, but the adult staff that had high praise for the book Monday.

"I'm having fun reading it. And I have loved the series, and I'm 46 and have no children," said Martha Wales, a clerk at Bear Pond. There, as of 4 p.m. Monday, 450 of the 800 ordered copies have sold since the book's release, which was Friday at midnight. "And they just keep going," Wales said.

The Harry Potter series has aspects that have adults like Wales pining for the books, which on the surface seem geared toward children.

"I think still, the good versus evil is interesting," said Wales. "The way she (author J.K. Rowling) weaves the story is so well done. There's so many little nuances that are woven in here and there, that it's really fun to see how it all falls together. For instance, as I'm reading it, I'm seeing that some potion comes up here, some name is mentioned there, and I've realized that in other (previous) books those itty-bitty clues can be something big at the end. I'm trying to be more attentive as those come up and it's really fun."

At Judevine Memorial Library in Hardwick, librarian Lisa Sammet said the library's two copies were long gone.

"One is to an adult, and one is to an adult and her son," Sammet said. "And she was just as happy to get it as her son." The other adult was "ecstatic," Sammet said.

And at Aldrich Public Library in Barre, the Harry Potter party on Friday saw lots of families, adults included. The three Harry Potter movies were shown at the library beginning at 4 p.m. that day, and at midnight, readers walked over to Barre Books to get their copies.

"What's happened to the books is they've gotten a little bit darker and longer, and the story is becoming increasingly edgy," library director Karen Lane said. "So yes, I think people who are inclined to like fantasy are growing an interest in following the story to its conclusion."

At Barre Books on Main Street, store owner Bob Van Arsdell said more than 100 books have flown off the shelves (not magically) so far. And he sees adults buying the book and reading it with their kids or after they do.

The Associated Press reported that the new book sold 9 million copies in its first 24 hours in Britain and the United States, averaging better than 375,000 sales per hour. The only other book in publishing history to open nearly as well was Rowling's previous book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

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sakshi

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Posted: 20 years ago

#157

'Harry Potter' magic works on all ages

July 19, 2005

By Sky Barsch Times Argus Staff

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," as well as earlier Harry Potter books, occupy a table front-and-center at Rivendell Books in Montpelier.
Photo: Stefan Hard/Times Argus

MONTPELIER - While hundreds of kids in Central Vermont flocked to bookstores and libraries to get their little hands on the latest Harry Potter book Friday night, some bigger sets of hands were reaching for the crazily popular sixth installment of the series as well.

Adults make up a third to half of Harry Potter readers in the area, according to bookstore employees and librarians in central Vermont. And it's not only parents who have been after a copy of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," say area book experts. Many adults in their 20s and 30s, as well as older and kidless adults, are after the book that is part of a cultural phenomenon.

"There's definitely an adult interest," said Robert Kasow, owner of Rivendell Books in Montpelier. "We probably sell as many to adults as to children. It's mainly young adults, in their 20s and early 30s."

The Main Street store, which carries both new and used books, has sold more than 200 copies of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" so far, he said.

Just across the street, at Bear Pond Books, it wasn't just the adult customers, but the adult staff that had high praise for the book Monday.

"I'm having fun reading it. And I have loved the series, and I'm 46 and have no children," said Martha Wales, a clerk at Bear Pond. There, as of 4 p.m. Monday, 450 of the 800 ordered copies have sold since the book's release, which was Friday at midnight. "And they just keep going," Wales said.

The Harry Potter series has aspects that have adults like Wales pining for the books, which on the surface seem geared toward children.

"I think still, the good versus evil is interesting," said Wales. "The way she (author J.K. Rowling) weaves the story is so well done. There's so many little nuances that are woven in here and there, that it's really fun to see how it all falls together. For instance, as I'm reading it, I'm seeing that some potion comes up here, some name is mentioned there, and I've realized that in other (previous) books those itty-bitty clues can be something big at the end. I'm trying to be more attentive as those come up and it's really fun."

At Judevine Memorial Library in Hardwick, librarian Lisa Sammet said the library's two copies were long gone.

"One is to an adult, and one is to an adult and her son," Sammet said. "And she was just as happy to get it as her son." The other adult was "ecstatic," Sammet said.

And at Aldrich Public Library in Barre, the Harry Potter party on Friday saw lots of families, adults included. The three Harry Potter movies were shown at the library beginning at 4 p.m. that day, and at midnight, readers walked over to Barre Books to get their copies.

"What's happened to the books is they've gotten a little bit darker and longer, and the story is becoming increasingly edgy," library director Karen Lane said. "So yes, I think people who are inclined to like fantasy are growing an interest in following the story to its conclusion."

At Barre Books on Main Street, store owner Bob Van Arsdell said more than 100 books have flown off the shelves (not magically) so far. And he sees adults buying the book and reading it with their kids or after they do.

The Associated Press reported that the new book sold 9 million copies in its first 24 hours in Britain and the United States, averaging better than 375,000 sales per hour. The only other book in publishing history to open nearly as well was Rowling's previous book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

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sakshi

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Posted: 20 years ago

#158

Harry Potter helps book stores sell other items

July 19, 2005, 10:42 AM CHICAGO (Dow Jones/AP) -- Customers flocked to book stores over the weekend to buy the latest installment in the Harry Potter series, but in many cases left with more than just that one book. Released shortly after midnight on Saturday morning, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth Potter book by J.K. Rowling, sold at a record pace. For booksellers such as Barnes & Noble Inc. and Borders Group Inc., the interest in Potter kept some customers in the store for many hours and spurred sales in other items. About 40 percent of customers who bought the latest Potter book at Barnes & Noble also bought another item, Chief Executive Steve Riggio said. The other items ranged from other Harry Potter-related products, including earlier installments or the audio edition of the current book, to other non-related books, Riggio said. Barnes & Noble's stores and Web site sold a record 1.3 million copies of the Harry Potter book during the first 48 hours of sales. First-day sales at Barnes & Noble rose 40 percent compared with first-day sales of the previous Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," which came out in hardcover in June 2003. Barnes & Noble is the largest book seller in the United States, with 821 bookstores in 50 states. At Borders, the majority of those who purchased "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" purchased at least one another item in the same transaction, spokeswoman Anne Roman said. Most of the additional items were non-bestsellers aimed at adults, she said. Borders Group sold more than 1 million copies of the Potter book around the world during the first two days, making it the biggest sales weekend for any book in the history of the retailer. Borders, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., has more than 1,200 stores worldwide. Some analysts weren't impressed with efforts by Barnes & Noble and Borders to spur sales beyond the latest Potter book. Danielle Fox of Merrill Lynch & Co. said in a research note Monday that, with the exception of brisk cafe sales, her team saw little crossover shopping, with most customers appearing interested only in Harry Potter. Borders did a better job of keeping customers in stores to browse, but neither bookseller made an "overt effort" to encourage return visits, Fox said, calling it a "missed opportunity." Barnes & Noble and Borders disagreed with Fox's assessment, noting that they are offering coupons to customers who purchase "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." It isn't clear how long any coattail effect of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will last, but Borders Group's Roman said the first week of sales is generally the best for Harry Potter books. Sales will likely remain strong through the holidays but not at current levels, she said. The Harry Potter books have a wider coattail effect than just about any other book Barnes & Noble sells, Riggio said. He added that children's books are the fastest-growing area in the retailer's stores. Riggio noted that the Potter book will add less than 1 percent to the retailer's total sales of the year. Bestsellers represent about 4 percent of Barnes & Noble's total sales in a year, he said. On the New York Stock Exchange, shares in Barnes & Noble closed Monday at $42.32, up 5 percent, on volume of 1.7 million, compared with average daily trading volume of 680,900. In early Tuesday trading, shares were down 1.1 percent at $41.88.

Shares of Borders Group slipped 0.4 percent Monday to $24.97 on the NYSE, on volume of 504,000. Average daily trading volume is 449,200 shares. In early Tuesday trading, Borders shares were up 0.2 percent at $25.02

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Posted: 20 years ago

#159

J.K. Rowling works magic in enticing kids to read

Wild about Harry? Of course we are. Everybody ought to be. J.K. Rowling's fantasy series of Harry Potter books, introduced in 1997, has become a cultural phenomenon of global proportion. The Los Angeles Times reviewers compare its impact favorably to E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web," and The New York Times makes the analogy to J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings." It is possible both prestigious publications understate the significance of what author Rowling has created with Potter. The books have sold 270 million copies in 62 languages and spawned an inspirational series of movies. But they also have done something more. A generation of youth cannot seem to put the books down. That, in turn, has contributed to some positive returns showing, for example, that reading is again much in vogue among a generation distracted by countless electronic gadgets and media. According to a just-released report of the 2004 National Assessment of Educational Progress, the nation's 9-year-olds have posted the best scores in building-block subjects, of which reading is one of the most fundamental, in more than three decades. That means that most of today's 9-year-olds have taken an interest in, and demonstrated a mastery of, reading that exceeds that of most of their parents. As we suggested earlier, what's not to be wild about? This is encouraging stuff, indeed. A lot of those parents, grandparents and teachers deserve a shared pat on the back.

And so do authors such as Rowling, who have piqued the minds and interest of young people.

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Posted: 20 years ago

#160

Potter sales hit fever pitch in Canada Jamie Broadhurst at Raincoast Books in Vancouver estimates sales of the latest Harry Potter book in Canada were between 650,000 to 700,000 in the first weekend. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in the series about a boy wizard-in-training, was launched July 16 to much anticipation by fans worldwide. Nearly nine million copies of the book sold in the U.S. and U.K. this past weekend, according to Nielsen BookScan.

Canada's Indigo Books said the chain did about 1,200 transactions a minute during the first two hours the book was available.

The latest 'Harry Potter' book has registered unprecedented first weekend sales. (AP file photo)

The book has been translated into 60 languages.

Lil' Kim sues trial witness

Rapper Lil' Kim has filed a $6-million US lawsuit against one of the witnesses who recently testified against her.

In March, the rapper was convicted of perjury and conspiracy in relation to a 2001 shootout outside New York hip hop station Hot 97. She was sentenced to a year and a day of prison earlier this month. The 30-year-old rapper, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, was ordered to report to prison in September.

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News & Articles related to harry Potter - Page 16

Some copies of new Harry Potter book misprinted

Harry Potter helps book stores sell other items

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