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| World gears up for Potter release | World gears up for Potter release |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Harry Potter fans are eagerly awaiting the midnight launch of the seventh and final book in the wizard series. | Harry Potter fans are eagerly awaiting the midnight launch of the seventh and final book in the wizard series. |
| Devotees have been queuing outside one bookshop in London for three days to be among the first to get their hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. | Devotees have been queuing outside one bookshop in London for three days to be among the first to get their hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. |
| Author JK Rowling will read excerpts to 500 fans at midnight and sign books at the Natural History Museum in London. | Author JK Rowling will read excerpts to 500 fans at midnight and sign books at the Natural History Museum in London. |
| A decade after the first book, Harry Potter has become a global phenomenon with 325 million books already sold. | A decade after the first book, Harry Potter has become a global phenomenon with 325 million books already sold. |
| That number will grow as millions of copies of the new novel are snapped up at the weekend. | That number will grow as millions of copies of the new novel are snapped up at the weekend. |
| This is the biggest Harry Potter party in Europe, so it's worth the wait Laura HalinenHarry Potter fan class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=6901&edition=1">Send us your comments It is being released simultaneously in 93 countries, with a print run of 12 million in the US alone and more than 2.2 million ordered in advance from internet retailer Amazon. | |
| Loyal fans will finally reach the climax of the story after 10 years of twists and turns in the life of the young wizard. | Loyal fans will finally reach the climax of the story after 10 years of twists and turns in the life of the young wizard. |
| A final confrontation between Harry and his evil nemesis, Lord Voldemort, has been building throughout the series - and Rowling has revealed some characters do not survive. | A final confrontation between Harry and his evil nemesis, Lord Voldemort, has been building throughout the series - and Rowling has revealed some characters do not survive. |
| Fans in London have been braving heavy rain as they wait for the book to go on sale. | Fans in London have been braving heavy rain as they wait for the book to go on sale. |
| JK Rowling finished writing the final book in JanuaryLaura Halinen, 23, travelled from Finland to join them outside the Piccadilly branch of Waterstone's. | JK Rowling finished writing the final book in JanuaryLaura Halinen, 23, travelled from Finland to join them outside the Piccadilly branch of Waterstone's. |
| "This is the biggest Harry Potter party in Europe, so it's worth the wait," she said. | "This is the biggest Harry Potter party in Europe, so it's worth the wait," she said. |
| Chellie Carr, 17, from Okemos, Michigan, said she pestered her mother to bring her to London. | Chellie Carr, 17, from Okemos, Michigan, said she pestered her mother to bring her to London. |
| "For all the other books she said: 'No. It's just a book.' But for this one, she said yes," she said. | "For all the other books she said: 'No. It's just a book.' But for this one, she said yes," she said. |
| Cahina Lewis, who dressed as a witch to mark the occasion, said: "For the last nine or 10 years it's been such a big part of my life. | Cahina Lewis, who dressed as a witch to mark the occasion, said: "For the last nine or 10 years it's been such a big part of my life. |
| "I've been talking to my friends about Harry Potter theories for so long, and I'm not going to be able to do that anymore. What will I do with my life?" | "I've been talking to my friends about Harry Potter theories for so long, and I'm not going to be able to do that anymore. What will I do with my life?" |
| Global celebrations | Global celebrations |
| All-night parties and Hogwarts Express-style train trips have been planned elsewhere around the world to celebrate the release. | All-night parties and Hogwarts Express-style train trips have been planned elsewhere around the world to celebrate the release. |
| Staff at stores in Hong Kong will tour the city dressed as wizards, while in Bangladesh, customs offices are continuing to work on a Friday - a holiday in the country - to ensure the novel is delivered on time. | Staff at stores in Hong Kong will tour the city dressed as wizards, while in Bangladesh, customs offices are continuing to work on a Friday - a holiday in the country - to ensure the novel is delivered on time. |
| A live band will play and a discussion about the boy wizard will go ahead in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. | A live band will play and a discussion about the boy wizard will go ahead in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. |
| Rowling is angry US newspapers broke the book embargoIn New York, a street party will include face-painting, wand-making, fire-eaters and magicians, while in Bangkok, an outdoor movie screen will show all the Potter films throughout the night. | Rowling is angry US newspapers broke the book embargoIn New York, a street party will include face-painting, wand-making, fire-eaters and magicians, while in Bangkok, an outdoor movie screen will show all the Potter films throughout the night. |
| Despite the embargo, some copies have been sent out early by mistake and reviews have appeared in some newspapers. | Despite the embargo, some copies have been sent out early by mistake and reviews have appeared in some newspapers. |
| Rowling said she was "staggered" that papers including the New York Times had printed plot details in reviews. | Rowling said she was "staggered" that papers including the New York Times had printed plot details in reviews. |
| The paper described the book as a "monumental, spellbinding epic" and said it ended with a "big-screen, heart-racing, bone-chilling confrontation". | The paper described the book as a "monumental, spellbinding epic" and said it ended with a "big-screen, heart-racing, bone-chilling confrontation". |
| Children's helpline Childline has asked volunteers to take on extra shifts to cope with an expected surge of calls from distraught youngsters after the reading the book. | Children's helpline Childline has asked volunteers to take on extra shifts to cope with an expected surge of calls from distraught youngsters after the reading the book. |
| Price war | Price war |
| The expected death of a key character could spark feelings of loss and bereavement among young readers, it has warned. | The expected death of a key character could spark feelings of loss and bereavement among young readers, it has warned. |
| The books' release has also sparked a price war among UK supermarkets, while Royal Mail said it would deliver 600,000 copies on Saturday - one for every 43 households in the country. | The books' release has also sparked a price war among UK supermarkets, while Royal Mail said it would deliver 600,000 copies on Saturday - one for every 43 households in the country. |
| Rowling recently admitted she felt "devastated" as she penned the final words to the book. | Rowling recently admitted she felt "devastated" as she penned the final words to the book. |
| The book will be released around the world at 0001 BST on Saturday. | The book will be released around the world at 0001 BST on Saturday. |