Tom Campbell, co-owner of the Regulator Bookshop, Durham, N.C., offered the following thoughts on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in his newsletter, The Regulator Irregular:
"This is the last Harry Potter book, and it will quite likely be the last time in any of our lifetimes that people will line up, in the middle of the night, all across the country, and all across the world, to buy a book. To 'see what happens next' in a story. The only other time this has ever happened, as far as I know, was with Charles Dickens more than 150 years ago when crowds waited on the quays in New York for the ship carrying the latest installment of The Old Curiosity Shop to dock, calling out to the passengers and crew, 'Is Little Nell dead?'
"We don't yet know who is going to die in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but we do know that more than a million Harry Potter readers are dead to the real significance of this event. These are the people who ordered their books from Amazon, and who at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 21, will be home asleep, waiting for the UPS delivery of their book the next day, or two days later, or whenever it arrives. They are indeed getting a great deal on the price of their book, but sometimes in life you get what you pay for. And sometimes you also get an experience that is truly priceless, a once in a lifetime kind of thing."
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The world of books will briefly run in a Harry Potter Time Zone next weekend, and we'll all reset our clocks accordingly. For example, Partners/West Book Distributing will have special hours for HP7 weekend, opening 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 21, and Sunday, July 22. Books will be available for pickup at the Partners/West warehouse in Renton, Wash. and the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association offices in San Francisco, Calif.
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John Crace, London Guardian book reviewer, reflected on the hazards of "instant reviewing" and offered instead his pre-review of HP7: "The book will start with Harry making his way back to Hogwarts for his final year and his scar will be hurting. Ginny and Ron will be flirting a bit, while Harry tries to take himself seriously by almost swearing. There will be loads more unedited, not very interesting back story that should have been cut and there will be a 'terrifically, exciting denouement that I can't reveal as I don't want to spoil the plot in which two much-loved characters die.' Oh, and J.K. will make another fortune."
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An interactive retrospective on the "business of Harry Potter" is available at the Wall Street Journal.
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Redbery Books, Cable, Wis., has an exhibit of original artwork by Mary GrandPre, illustrator of the Harry Potter books. Bev Bauer, owner of Redbery Books, once worked as a school librarian. She had encouraged students to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and asked GrandPre to visit the school. During her presentation, GrandPre sketched Harry Potter and Hermione, and now these poster-size, framed sepia, black and white charcoal drawings have been loaned by the school to Redbery Books for the exhibition, which runs from June 28 to July 22.
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Embargo breakers. The Toronto Globe & Mail reported that "All 300 Mac's Convenience Stores in the three prairie provinces and British Columbia have been denied permission to sell the newest, and last, installment of the popular Harry Potter series when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows goes on sale July 21."
Jamie Broadhurst, vice-president of marketing for Raincoast Books, publisher and distributor of the series in Canada, did not name Mac's specifically, but said, "We have reviewed the security procedures with all our customers, big and small, and if we have concerns that the security of the novel can't be guaranteed, then we've made the tough decision not to ship for the on-sale date. . . . Security is our absolute, paramount concern."
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In a Christianity Today article headlined "When Harry Met Satan," Harry P. is reconsidered through the traditional lens of good versus evil: "So whether you're a Potter-Maniac or just a casual observer, remember the real battle you are in as a Christian, put on your armor, and fight in the power of God. I guarantee that if you do, the action/adventure of the Harry Potter series will pale in comparison!"