Powerful spell

Culture | When is the release of a book an international cultural event? When the book is the latest Harry Potter installment. Costumed fans descended upon bookstores on July 15-16 and made Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the fastest-selling book ever | John Dawson

The debate still rages about the value of Harry Potter books as children's reading, but no one can deny that J.K. Rowling's fantasy creation has captured the minds of millions of children and adults, creating in the process a cultural phenomenon powerful enough to entice scads of folks to dress up in costume and wait hours for a book they've already reserved.

In the United States and in Great Britain, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold 9 million copies in the first 24 hours after going on sale July 16. That makes the sixth book in the series the fastest-selling book of any kind ever—and at thousands of bookstores, the midnight release was this year's major event.

Take, for example, festivities at three bookstores deep in the heart of Texas. Outside BookPeople in Austin, 5-year-olds in witches' hats waited in line atop their fathers' shoulders. Older fans dressed as everything from the Prisoner of Azkaban to Harry Potter himself milled about to get free ice cream or fountain drinks, specially renamed as dragon fire and butter beer (cream soda) in honor of the occasion. Other attractions included free Tarot reading, magic tricks by a purported "real wizard," and a performance by "Svetlana the Romanian" of a Dance of Flame that involved her twirling fiery chains around her body.

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July 30, 2005, Vol. 20, No. 29

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