Thieves have disrupted the magical world of the latest Harry Potter countdown.
Thousands of copies of the new Harry Potter book have been stolen from a warehouse in England, potentially spoiling publishing's most treasured -- and guarded -- secret.
Booksellers, warehouse workers and others across the English-speaking world have been following strict security measures to ensure a smooth release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the latest adventure in the blockbuster series.
PHOTO: AFP
Thieves made off with a tractor trailer containing a total of 7,680 copies of the new book, police said on Tuesday. The truck was taken on Sunday from outside a warehouse in Newtown-le-Willows, northern England, where the books awaited distribution for their 12:01am release on Saturday. Authorities have made no arrests and have no suspects.
The truckload of books had an estimated retail value of US$220,000 -- but advance copies would have a much higher street value. The book has a list price in the US of US$29.99.
Bloomsbury, the London-based publisher of J.K. Rowling's beloved fantasy stories about the young wizard and his friends, issued a statement on Tuesday noting that a legal injunction bars publishing any contents or plot summary of the book before it goes on sale and requires the return of any missing books to the publisher.
Stores across the US plan late-night parties on Friday and a countdown is scheduled in New York's Times Square.
Festivities also were planned in England, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
Scholastic, Inc, the US publisher of the Potter books, has commissioned a first printing of eight-and-a-half million. Those books are making their way from printing presses to distribution facilities to retailers and private homes.
Security touches every level of the Potter book. Unlike other books, which pass through several hands from early manuscript to production to release, only a few people at the publishing house have even seen the book, said Judy Corman, a spokeswoman for Scholastic. A safe was installed at the office so that samples sent from the printer could be stored securely.
Advanced Marketing Services, a San Diego-based distributor that expects to handle about two million Potter books between Saturday and January 2004, has hired security guards in the US and added guard dogs for a Canadian distributor it partially owns.
Amazon.com employees have begun packaging the Potter book at five regional warehouses with a warning label: "Do not under any circumstances deliver before June 21."
On Monday, news reporters with three separate security badges passed through metal detectors and had their bags searched at Amazon.com's warehouse in Fernley, Nevada, 48km east of Reno.
"I can't let you touch the book," warned Bill Carr, Amazon.com's director of books, music, videos and DVDs. He gestured toward some of the more than 200,000 books -- about 150 tons worth -- that will be shipped to West Coast destinations.
Sunday's theft comes at a time when publishers have been repeatedly frustrated in controlling the release of highly anticipated books.
In the past few months, three books -- Trisha Meili's I Am the Central Park Jogger, Stephen Glass' The Fabulist and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's Living History -- have been obtained by reporters before their publication dates.
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off northern Japan on Monday prompted a short-lived tsunami alert and the advisory of a higher risk of a possible mega-quake for coastal areas there. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a mega-quake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the powerful quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a quake prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime
HAZARDOUS CONDITION: The typhoon’s sheer size, with winds extending 443km from its center, slowed down the ability of responders to help communities, an official said The US Coast Guard was searching for six people after losing contact with their disabled boat off the coast of Guam following Typhoon Sinlaku. The crew of the 44m dry cargo vessel, the US-registered Mariana, on Wednesday notified the coast guard that the boat had lost its starboard engine and needed assistance, Petty Officer 3rd Class Avery Tibbets said yesterday. The coast guard set up a one-hour communication schedule with the vessel, but lost contact on Thursday. A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft was launched to search for the six people on board, but it had to return to Guam because of
RSS