Word wizardry

Fans of Harry Potter books partied late, at least for wee readers, and lined up early to buy the latest installment.

By MICHAEL SANDLER

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 9, 2000

TAMPA -- Josh Beckwith roused his mother at 5:45 a.m. Saturday. The 14-year-old boy from Seminole Heights had important business to attend to, and he knew thousands of other boys and girls had a similar plan in mind.

Beckwith wanted to be among the first of his peers to procure a copy of J.K. Rowling's fantasy Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth installment in the seven-series phenomenon. He and his mother drove to Border's Books & Music in South Tampa at 6:40 a.m. and took the first place in line, nearly 90 minutes before the store opened.

"We thought there would be a huge line," Beckwith said. "We did not reserve a copy, and we did not think we would get one."

Others began arriving shortly after 7 a.m. When the store opened at 8 a.m., an hour earlier than normal, Beckwith happily purchased one of the first copies. Hundreds followed, ending months of secrecy and hype surrounding what will soon be one of the biggest-selling books of all time.

"I haven't read any of them," said Mark Carr, who purchased copies for his two children, 11 and 9. "I don't understand (the phenomenon). But I'm glad to see all these kids reading."

The action and suspense of the series, which follows the adventures of an orphaned, 14-year-old wizard, has been rivaled in recent months by a nationwide hype surrounding the book's release.

The success of the first three titles, which sold 28-million copies worldwide, prompted the publisher to print an initial 5.8-million copies of this installment for sale in the United States and England, thought to be the largest first run in history. Before the book hit the shelves, two major Internet book companies reported orders for more than 700,000, making Goblet of Fire a bestseller before a single copy was sold.

"Absolutely never," said Patrick Hemming, a manager at Barnes & Noble at Carrollwood, when asked if he had ever seen a book sell this fast.

Bookstores in the Tampa Bay area, and across the nation, extended their business hours to accommodate the publisher's demand that not a single copy of the 734-page novel be sold before July 8.

Some, like Barnes & Noble in Carrollwood and Inkwood Books in Hyde Park, opened at midnight on Friday just to be among the first to offer the highly coveted volume. Others, like Borders, opened early Saturday. Many held costume parties, offered free food and prizes, and of course, discounts on all Harry Potter books.

The promotions seemingly worked. Barnes & Noble sold more than 200 copies at its Carrollwood store and more than 100 at its South Tampa location in the hour after midnight.

The pace of the cash registers hardly slowed Saturday. Borders Books & Music in South Tampa sold 270 copies by 9 a.m., offering a 40 percent discount on the $25.95 retail price. Waldenbooks & More in Carrollwood ran up $3,000 in Goblet sales by noon.

Children seemingly welcome the sophisticated style Rowling uses to spin the tale about Potter's coming of age as a boy training to be a wizard.

"I like the magical content, and the author is very good at describing things," said Beckwith. "There's always a lot of suspense."

The writer even has parents praising her work.

"It's so wonderfully written," said Tracy Lewis, who has read all three Harry Potter books to Jordan, 7, and Alexandra, 3. "It does not take much to get them hooked.

Jordan and Alexandra came dressed as Harry and Dobby, earning first prize in a costume contest held at Borders on N Dale Mabry.

Other children, many in costume, pulled their parents through the doors at the South Tampa store early Saturday, where the store offered a free pancake breakfast with each purchase of the book.

Carr arrived with his two children, Taylor and Margaret, both big fans of the series.

"There's a lot of excitement," said Margaret, 9, who especially likes Hagrid.

Taylor, 11, sat in front of an untouched plate of pancakes. He was on Page 37 by 9 a.m, 45 minutes after receiving his copy.

"I know it's going to be really good," he said. "It's got a good story line. It's not like some other books that can get really predictable and boring. This one's really unpredictable."

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