| Harry Potter and his friends will make their final bow | | | | that first-day advance orders for the last book were |
| this year as the last of the series of J.K. Rowling's | | | | 547 percent more than the Harry Potter and the |
| best-selling novel is set to be released on July 21. | | | | Half-Blood Prince which had 1.5 million pre-orders. Book |
| Kudos to Rowling for creating an international feat, | | | | 6 was released in July 2005. |
| that of writing seven famous and mega-selling Harry | | | | Meanwhile, a deluxe edition of Harry Potter and the |
| Potter books in a span of ten years. Her books | | | | Deathly Hallows with a regular price tag of $65 has |
| bridged the generation gap as both kids and adults | | | | also topped the list of and Barnes & The book is at |
| were magnetized to the young wizard boy and the | | | | number two outselling a diet book and a memoir |
| mysteries that surrounded his life. | | | | endorsed by talk show host Oprah Winfrey. |
| The last book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" | | | | Previously, some 100,000 copies of a similar edition of |
| is something to look forward to by fans as the story | | | | Book 6 were sold, according to Scholastic Inc. It |
| gets more thrilling with two characters to be killed in | | | | included a 32-page insert of art and illustrations, a |
| the end. Readers have already expressed mixed | | | | full-cloth case book, blind-stamped on front and back |
| emotions upon the announcement of Rowling on her | | | | cover with the spine being foil-stamped. |
| website. The author, during a reading last summer at | | | | J.K. Rowling completed the last Harry Potter book on |
| New York's Radio City Music Hall, revealed that she's | | | | January 11, 2007 at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh |
| not always happy killing her characters including the | | | | particularly at Room 652. This, according to a note |
| one who died at the end of Book 6 (Harry Potter | | | | she scribbled using a black marker on the back of a |
| and the Half-Blood Prince). However, she already had | | | | marble bust in the five-star hotel. Hotel sources were |
| that in mind for several years prior to her writing the | | | | surprised over the discovery saying it's the first time |
| book. "I'd already done my grieving when I actually | | | | a celebrity guest in their hotel left a note on an |
| came to write it," Rowling said. | | | | ornament. It seems that Rowling is endeared to |
| Book 7 will be sold $5 higher than Book 6 at $34.99. | | | | Edinburgh where she also wrote the first book, Harry |
| U.S. publisher Scholastic Inc. said the price increase is | | | | Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, notably in cafes |
| due to the rise in the costs of production, paper, | | | | Nicholson's and The Elephant House. Rowling's |
| trucking, gas and security. These factors have been | | | | representative has confirmed that the author had |
| very vital in ensuring that all readers enjoy their | | | | been writing the last part of her |
| well-loved book during release time. It's not clear | | | | internationally-acclaimed novel in Balmoral Hotel. |
| though how many pages it will have but speculations | | | | Since the first introduction of the Harry Potter series |
| are strong it will either equal or exceed the page | | | | ten years ago, more than 325 million copies of the |
| length of the previous books at more than 600 | | | | books in 64 languages have been sold while four |
| pages. Online retailer Inc. has also announced a | | | | box-office movies have been produced. The fifth |
| discounted price for the book at $18.89, 46 percent | | | | sequel "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is |
| cheaper than the suggested cover price. It added | | | | set to be released on July 13. |