Bookshops under Potter spell

Many have questioned whether the Harry Potter series, which has become increasingly dark with each instalment, is indeed for children. However, the response to the release of the seventh and last in the series today at daybreak, India time, has given us something to tell our grandchildren. On the first day itself, as many as 170,000 copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows were lifted from stores across the country, putting it on course to becoming the best selling book of all time in the country.

The previous book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, had also set a record for the opening day, selling 100,000 copies.

Penguin India, which has published the book in the country, has ordered 250,000 copies of the seventh book, compared with the 160,000 of the last one.

The rush of buyers is said to be 10 times the crowd that gathered to greet the last book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, two years ago.

Bookstore owners say the huge response is primarily because of the fans' eagerness to know the conclusion of the saga that began in 1997, when the boy wizard Harry was first introduced to Muggles "� the term employed by author J K Rowling for the non-magical folk.

"The sales of Harry Potter titles have been growing steadily. While the first three were also successes, it's really the fourth book that started the phenomenon, said Hemali Sodhi, head of marketing at Penguin India. Crossword Bookstores, at one of its Mumbai outlets, had over 500 people lined up this morning, compared with 60-odd people for Half Blood Prince. On day one, Crossword has sold as many as 15,000 copies and expects to sell over 25,000 in the first three to four days across its 45 outlets. The author has been able to sustain the interest of readers throughout the series," said Aniyan Nair, head of operations and marketing, Crossword Bookstores. Landmark, a book, music and movies shop, has reported similar response. Said Hemu Ramaiah, Landmark's chief executive officer: "We expect to sell over 15,000 copies in two days across 10 outlets."