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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, July 17, 2005

Harry Potter in stock — for now

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

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"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," J.K. Rowling's sixth installment of the billion-dollar wizarding saga, hit O'ahu with the usual level of excitement but a little less desperation.

"It's fun," said Pat Banning, owner of BookEnds in Kailua. "We're all talking about booger-flavored jelly beans and pumpkin juice here."

Sales have been brisk since the midnight release, Banning said. But this time they were regular customers, not the frantic people who had circled the island in a desperate quest for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

Rowling's last book, released in 2003, sold 5 million copies in the first 24 hours after its release, catching booksellers across the country empty-handed.

"Last book there was this kind of dementia," Banning said.

Although sales figures were not yet available, "Half-Blood Prince" is expected to bring in even more cash than its predecessors. This time, book sellers were prepared. On O'ahu, they stocked up.

"We still have well over a thousand left," said Brian Melzack, owner of the local independent book chain, Bestsellers. "All our stores have hundreds and hundreds, so all of the good citizens of O'ahu will be able to read the book."

Melzack said he thinks more customers are comparison shopping this time.

"People will come in and right up front ask you how much you are charging," he said. "They already assume you have the book."

Although the book lists for $29.95, Bestsellers and Borders at Ward Centre, following a trend set by Amazon.com, are selling the book at about $20.

Barnes & Noble at Kahala Mall was charging just under $18. Costco stores were selling the book at just under $16. Smaller independent stores charge more.

"I still have thousands," a clerk at the Iwilei Costco said a half-hour before closing time yesterday.

"I've got a bunch," a Hawai'i Kai Costco employee said. "But I can't say how long they'll last."

Barnes & Noble and Borders said they still had some copies in stock.

Banning, who had resisted the hype of previous releases, held a Harry Potter party Friday night complete with pumpkin juice and other goodies. She said she still had enough copies to see her Kailua customers through at least Monday or Tuesday.

The release party, she said, went surprisingly well.

"People here go to bed at 8:30," she said, "but at midnight we had a line."