New Harry Potter book shatters US sales records

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2005

NEW YORK (AFP) — "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" shattered publishing records in the United States, selling 6.9 million copies in its first 24 hours on sale, its US publisher Scholastic said.

"Once again Harry Potter made history. Early reports estimate that Scholastic broke all publishing records," a Scholastic statement said.

"The fact that a brilliantly written book for children just sold 6.9 million copies in the first 24 hours in the US is cause for celebration, not just for Scholastic but for book lovers everywhere," said Lisa Holton, president of Scholastic Children's Book Publishing.

A second printing of the sixth volume in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is already hitting US bookstores, the firm said.

Scholastic had printed an...