Letter carrier Scott Greenwald’s load was 27 pounds heavier than usual Saturday because nine copies of the 3-pound “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” sat in the back of his truck waiting delivery.
“When you see kids running out to get this book it’s like Christmas in July,” Greenwald said.
Greenwald’s nine deliveries Saturday were just a fraction of the number placed in Colorado mailboxes. More than 500 copies of the latest in J.K. Rowling’s series about a young wizard arrived at the Highlands Ranch branch of the United States Postal Service on Friday. Postal Service employees delivered at least 24,000 preordered copies throughout the state.
“Our letter carriers’ trucks and satchels are going to be heavy. … But we’re glad to do it,” said Al DeSarro, spokesman for the Postal Service’s Western region. “We’re happy to be the muggles that take the place of the owl post this time.”
Nationwide, the post office typically handles 3.7 million packages a day, DeSarro said. The 1 million copies of Harry Potter that needed to be delivered Saturday increased the Postal Service’s activity by 27 percent.
The extra load didn’t bother Greenwald, who has a child who is spellbound by the boy wizard.
“It shocked me when my 15-year-old said I have to get that book,” he said.
Business was busy Saturday for The Bookies bookstore and the Tattered Cover in Cherry Creek, though customers were buying more than just Harry Potter.
Both stores have plenty more Harry Potter for anyone who missed the release parties.
“Who would have thought that a book coming out could generate so much excitement like Harry does,” said Mary Jane Peace of Bookies.
Neil Strandberg, manager of the Tattered Cover in Cherry Creek, estimated 3,000 visitors among the release parties at the store’s three locations. He declined to say how many books were sold.
Hundreds of fans, who could not wait the extra half-day to start digging into this sixth book in the seven-part series, attended midnight-release parties across the Denver area Friday night.
“I’m probably going to read the first chapter on the car ride home,” said Alex Ahoades, 11, who was fully decked out for the occasion at Bookies with a black cape, black hat, red lightning bolt scar, broken glasses and a Firebolt broomstick.
More than 1,917 booksellers in the United States, including at least 38 in Colorado, had similar parties before distributing copies of the long-awaited novel at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, according to www.PotterParties.com.
Since the Tattered Cover started having release parties with “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” Heather Duncan, director of marketing, has been amazed at the books’ effect on children.
“It is one of the most remarkable phenomenon of our time because it brought kids back to books,” Duncan said. “The creativity and imagination that J.K. Rowling put into these books stuck with kids.”
The two-year lag since “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” was released did little to stifle interest in the saga of the boy wizard versus Lord Voldemort. The series has sold an estimated 270 million copies worldwide since the first book, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” was published in 1997 in Great Britain. The book was published in the U.S. as “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
The fifth Harry Potter book sold 5 million copies in the first 24 hours after its release. Hoping to continue that trend with this latest Harry Potter adventure, which retails for $29.99, Scholastic Inc., the U.S. publisher of the series, made an unprecedented first-run of 10.8 million copies.
Nearly the whole cast of Harry Potter could be seen flying about at Tattered Cover. A group, who identified themselves as the biggest Harry Potter fans in Golden, came as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Hagrid, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and Dumbledore.
“This is the best time I’ve had since I watched all six Star Wars in one day,” said Ryan Nee.
The wait was worth it for the children who sat for hours to get a copy. And there were plenty of distractions to pass the time. Whether it was making potion pouches, answering trivia questions, reading the Daily Prophet or learning about owls, everything Friday night was about Harry.
Even the food was transfigured into magical munchies. Butterbeer, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, polyjuice potion and pumpkin pasties were some of the treats fans feasted on.
Whether they got the book by mail, at midnight or maybe even by owl post, fans agree that Harry Potter has a unique brand of magic.
As Baker DeMoulin, who was dressed as the wise wizard Dumbledore with a long beard and blue robes, said, “Nothing quite brings friends together like Harry Potter.”
Staff writer Michelle Wallar contributed to this report.
Staff writer Joan Gandy can be reached at 303-820-1689 or jgandy@denverpost.com.
