Accio Firebolt! (plus quiz)

Published on July 18, 2007

The seventh book will arrive this Saturday.

With foreboding as thick as global warming, but cut through with the glee of grinning, toothless witches, Potter Day looms. A section of Bangkok has been rebuilt as King's Cross Station Platform 9¾. Hogwarts wizards are roaming the newsrooms baying for attention. Harry look-alikes are haunting the bookshops.

The final tome in the Harry Potter series arrives on a lightning bolt from Castle Rowling this Saturday, well before dawn in Bangkok's case.

The Potter publishing phenomenon that has gripped the literary world for a decade is poised for its denouement with the closing chapter, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".

As everywhere else in the world, the seventh book will be a statistical marvel for the Thai publishing scene. Despite overwhelming pre-orders, bookstores have gone into overdrive with promotional schemes.

A range of "specials" await the first in line for the last in the series - generous prizes including holiday package tours of the film locations in Britain.

Kim Chongsatitwattana of Nanmee Books, which publishes the Thai translations, says no previous Potter book has generated this much excitement. Nanmee has had 10,000 advance orders and expects more.

"Perhaps it's because it's the last instalment," she says, "but Nanmee has built up a solid fan base for the whole series."

Fans will be playing games and vying for prizes at the Nanmee outlet at Siam Paragon on Saturday starting at 5am. The book chain's Harry Potter Fan Club has more than 10,000 members, and about 400 are expected at the launch.

Kim is currently negotiating with the series' publishing overlords, Bloomsbury, to invite JK Rowling - the most popular children's author in the universe - to come and meet local devotees at the end of the year. "We're not sure if it's possible, but we're trying hard to get her to Thailand," Kim says.

Nanmee has sold more than a million copies of the six earlier Potter books. "The figure is impressive," she says, "but it's nothing compared to the 325 million copies sold in all languages worldwide."

B2S, another bilingual bookshop chain, expects its advance orders for "Deathly Hallows" to nearly double this week, from 3,500 to 6,000. Vice president for marketing Nuntawan Suwandej has been wielding a Bt3-million budget to promote it, coming up with loads of premiums and fun activities.

She's expecting the seventh novel and its related merchandise to bring in Bt70 million by year's end.

Meanwhile Asia Books has trumped its rivals with a genuine Anglo angle. Britain's ambassador to Thailand, David Fall, will be at the book's unveiling on Saturday and formally present a copy to the first purchaser.

Asia Books is also holding a quiz for Pottermaniacs, with the winners destined to tour the English and Scottish locations used in the films. The chain has also had 10,000 pre-orders and expects to sell as many as 30,000 copies in coming months.

It's not all about razzle-dazzle and raking in the dough, of course. The Potter phenomenon has doubtless instilled a love of reading in millions of Thai youngsters who might otherwise have stayed hooked to their video games. The series' fun and fantasy spur creativity as well.

B2S' Nuntawan is adamant that the best thing about Harry Potter isn't his way with a wand - it's that he's turned Thai kids from seven to 18 on to the joy of reading English-language books.

 Things that make wizards go, 'Wow!'

* If all the Harry Potter books sold to date were placed end to end, they would reach around the equator 1.6 times.

* It would take you a year and a half to walk that far, and even if you had a Formula 1 racing car and drove at top speed, you wouldn't reach the end for a week.

* Put the books all side by side and they'd cover 1,200 football pitches, or, if you prefer, carpet the principality of Monaco 4.4 times.

* Stack them all on a scale and they'd weigh as much as 25,000 elephants, two million Komodo dragons - or 70 million snowy owls.  

* More Harry Potter books have been sold than there are Americans.

* On its first day of sale in Britain, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" sold at a rate of 23

copies per second. 

* Since the publication of the first book, the series has averaged 90,000 copies sold per day. In the time it took you to read this fact, 15 more were snapped up.

 

Take the Bookazine quiz

1.  In which alley is the Eeylops Owl Emporium located?

2. The Elixir of Life is produced by what?

3.  Nagini is the name of what?

The first three people to e-mail the correct answers to khemm@hotmail.com will receive a copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". The fourth gets a Golden Snitch, and the fifth a

Time Turner necklace, all courtesy of Bookazine.

Check the Books Page in The Nation next Sunday.

 

Take the B2S quiz

1. Give the full name of Nearly Headless Nick.

2. What does NEWTs stand for? 

3. Who is referred to as "You-Know-Who", or "He Who Must Not Be Named"?

E-mail your answers to manote@nationgroup.com, and the five fastest get a copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".

Check the Books Page in The Nation next Sunday.

Where the sorcerers are spending Saturday

Bookazine Siam is out to find the "True Harry Fan" with a lucky draw on Saturday from 6am to 4pm. Plus, the new book's first 50 purchasers will receive a model of the Golden Snitch, and two sets of Time Turner necklaces will be given away every hour on the hour. For details, call (02) 742 7100, extension 301.

The Asia Books party starts at 4am at the Fountain Palace in front of the Emporium mall, and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" goes on sale at 6.01am sharp. British Ambassador and Mrs David Fall will be there to hand over a copy to its first purchaser.

The faithful will find themselves magically standing on King's Cross Station's Platform 9 about to be transported to the Diagon Alley Stage and Hogwarts School of Wizardry.

There's also a quiz that could win you a trip to UK filming locations like Christ Church College, Bodleian Library, Bracknell and the London Zoo.

The first 100 people who register at the event will receive a Harry Potter T-shirt and a wizard's hat. Call (02) 715 9000, extension 3202.

 

B2S will cast a spell over Central World Plaza at 5am, commencing a day of entertaining legerdemain. The first purchaser of the book also gets a copy of the "Golden Token Book". Enter "The Harry Potter Story Tellers For the Blind" competition for a chance to win prizes worth up to Bt30,000. Meet hardcore Harry fans like Sarah Malakul and Andrew Biggs. Take part in fun games to win T-shirts. Everyone who signs up gets a gift.

The magic will be marvellous at Nanmee Books' Siam Paragon branch starting at 5am. About 400 dyed-in-the-wool Hogwarts wizards are awaited. Join them in a bid for prizes, gifts and Potter memorabilia.

 Manote Tripathi

The Nation