Be prepared for the demise of Harry Potter
12:56pm Monday 26th February 2007
Comments (9)The seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter adventure will hit shelves at one minute past midnight on July 21 and is likely to cause shopping mayhem in Wiltshire.
Two major characters in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows are expected to meet a grisly end, with Harry fans facing a few more agonising months waiting to see if it's the main man himself who gets killed off.
"Think of the poor old independents who can’t possible compete.”
Jo Williams
Author JK Rowling is staying tight-lipped on the matter however so the Gazette has researched where the best buys are to make sure you don't miss the all-important big reveal in the summer.
Publishers Bloomsbury is releasing both a children's and adults' hardback edition, a special gift edition and an audio book on the same day.
Best buys
Surprisingly it's not a supermarket that's offering the cheapest basic hardback copy, as pre-ordering of the title begins to hot up.
The least wallet-busting tomes are available from Waterstone and Amazon at a price tag of £8.99, a whopping discount on the book's £17.99 recommended retail price. However supermarket giant Tesco is coming in a close second, selling the new Harry for £9.97.
Other outlets have also resorted to a selection of deals and free gifts to tempt buyers. Amazon is selling both the hardback and audio book together for £77.50 and WHSmith has matched Tesco's £9.97 hardback price and has promised that, should prices flucutate between now and the publication date, it will sell at the lowest rate available.
Meanwhile Waterstones is boosting it's already cheap price with an added incentive, a free copy of Wizardology: A Guide to Wizards of the World, worth £10.00, for every £8.99 copy sold.
Book retailers nationwide have been pushing customers to pre-order at the tills and are confident it will be another blockbuster.
Wayne Winstone, children's manager for Waterstone's, said: "Not only will this be the biggest selling book, it will also break all records to become the fastest selling book of all time.
"There are not many people who want to wait to find out what happens and risk hearing the news from their friends."
Head of books at online retailer Amazon, Christopher North, added: "It may be a long time before we see another book that commands as much anticipation, attention and demand as this final book in the Harry Potter series."
Tough competition
However, on a smaller independent scale the picture is not so rosy. Jo Williams of The Well Wisher, Long Street, Devizes, is likely to refrain from selling Harry Potter for the second year running as
she would make a £5 loss on each book.
"We're just not going to bother I don't think as we can't sell it as cheaply as the supermarkets and everyone else," she admitted.
"We just can't compete. We didn't buy any of the last edition at all and, to be honest, we only had one person come in and ask for it.
"We are a children's book shop and we do have the biggest range that you can imagine, much greater than Waterstones for example carry, but with Harry Potter we would have to buy in such huge quantities to get a discount.
"It's shooting the book industry in the foot. Think of the poor old independents who can't possible compete."
Owner of Devizes Books, Jo Batchelor, paints a similar picture. She said: "We were actually taking orders for the new one when people collected the last one and we've probably sold about 20 so far.
"But to be honest the business we do with Harry Potter has been decreasing because so many people pre-order them from Amazon.
"I might well go and buy mine from Tesco to be honest because I can't buy it in here as cheaply as they sell it. I will get them for people who pre-order but that's it - I won't be stocking them in or opening at midnight.
"I get a 45 per cent discount from my wholesaler so that won't take me down to the half prices other people are going to."
Record breakers
Nevertheless, Harry Potter is big buisness for those who can afford to stock it.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book, was released on July 16, 2005, and was the fastest-selling book in history, selling 6.9 million copies worldwide in the first 24 hours.
All six Harry books - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - have been number one bestsellers in the UK, the United States and around the world.
The Potter books have sold 325 million copies worldwide, have been translated into 64 languages and spawned five blockbuster movies.
As well as making Rowling a dollar billionaire, the books have been credited with bringing children back to reading and reviving the British film industry.
The latest film based on the books, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will be released in the UK on July 13.
For maximum Potter fun, children able to tear themselves away from the book will be able to take part in harry Potter trails at lacock Abbey this summer. For more details call 01249 730141.
What's your favourite Harry Potter book? Who do you think will be killed in the final installment? Should the price war be halted? Or do all things Potter leave you cold? Post your comments below.
Your Say YourThis Is Wiltshire
Cindy, Houston, Texas, USA says...
6:12am Tue 27 Feb 07
I believe that Hagrid will peobably die, since he has been there from the very beginning, and is one of the most beloved characters in the series.
I believe that there is the possibility that Harry, himself may even die.
There are both, pros & cons to this theory!
In favor of Harry's death, there is the fact that JKR seems to be ferociously possessive of her creation, so killing Harry in the final installment of the series would guarantee that no one could do unauthorized follow-ups to the tale of the boy wizard!
On the other hand, in opposition to the death of our hero, I believe that she would be really be betraying the trustof the dedicated fans of Harry Potter, who would become enraged by her killing of the brave little boy who was orphaned at birth, forced to live with relatives who were so cruel & unloving that they forced him to sleep under the staircase, wear the huge oversized hand-me-downs of his large obnoxious cousin, who is so spoiled that his parents are terrified at the thought of upsetting him!
In contrast, Harry has had absolutely nothing but abuse until he discovered he was a wizard & went to live at Hogwarts, school of magic, under the guidance of their wize headmaster, Dumbledore.
Dumbledore soon became much more that simpley a headmaster to Harry.
He has, in the years to follow, become a life teacher, counsler, role model, and father figure to the orphaned boy wizard!
Under Dumbledore,s guidance, Harry has become wizer braver, and more powerful with each following year!
Dumbledore would have become a major contender for death in this final book, had he not been killed, rather torturously, in the last Harry Potter novel, "the Half Blood Prince"!
This also leaves the other two characters of the main trio, Harry, Hermoine, and Ron open to the posibility of an untimely death, and even Neville Longbottom, who is practically as much a part of the group as the trio!
Neville, who has always been shy & retiring because of the violent torture of his parents by Voldemort's followers, has come a long way since the beginning of this series, and, because of Harry's support, displayed extraordinary courage in the battle at the Minstry of Magic!
He would certainly be up for fighting to defend Harry against Voldemort, thus puttting his life in peril as well!
There is even the possibility that either Harry's girlfriend, Ginny, or even Luna Lovegood, may be involved!
Only time, and the release of the final chapter in the tale of the life of Harry Potter will tell for sure!
Nimo Mohamud, Australia\mel says...
10:31am Tue 27 Feb 07
Veena, Michigan, USA says...
10:42pm Tue 27 Feb 07
Also, I think Rowling has set Neville up from the beginning to prove his awkwardness is no hindrance to bravery. After all, he was chosen as a Gryffindor, and he has been as loyal to Harry as any. He has also been linked inadvertently to Harry by being the only other possible candidate of the prophecy. He will prove himself in the end, unfortunately, in a tragic act of heroism.
paul, phoenix, az says...
5:31am Wed 28 Feb 07
Unfortunately, I do believe that Harry will die. This is due to the prophecy. It says that "neither can live while the other lives" which can mean that both must die. I also believe that Harry, himself, is the final horcrux containing a portion of Voldemort's soul and must die to destroy that protion. this horcrux was created by accident which is what caused the scar and saved him from the killing curse. I also believe that Dumbledore is not dead. Harry saw a Phoenix in the flames on the tomb. Dumbledore is an animagus who can become a phoenix and rise from his own ashes though I also believe that he will actually die in the final book.
Linda, Canada says...
9:59pm Wed 28 Feb 07
MAEA ANNE, says...
11:43am Tue 6 Mar 07
DAISY, says...
11:50am Tue 6 Mar 07
FATIMA, says...
11:56am Tue 6 Mar 07
Harry Potter
Author JK Rowling
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Robin, USA says...
6:48pm Mon 26 Feb 07