Harry Potter in the Guiness Book of World Records

Well, we knew this was going to happen someday, right? It’s official – Harry Potter has set some pretty AMAZING records, including:

Fastest-Selling Fiction Book (24 hours) (p. 239) – Deathly Hallows sold 8.3 million copies in the first 24 hours (or 345,833 books per hour) following its release in the USA on July 21, 2007.

Fastest-Selling DVD Ever (p. 239) – The Goblet of Fire DVD sold more than six copies per second on the day of release in the UK on March 20, 2006, and has continued to sell more than three copies per second since. It also sold more than 5 million copies on the first day of release in the USA, on March 7, 2006.

Largest Reading (p. 240) – J.K. Rowling was one of three authors who read excerpts from their works to a record audience of 20,264 at Toronto’s SkyDome stadium (Canada) on October 24, 2000. Rowling read from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; readings were also given by Kenneth Oppel and Tim Wynne-Jones (both Canada).

Largest First-Edition Print Run (p. 239) – The release of Order of the Phoenix in June 2003 marked the largest first-edition print run ever, at 8.5 million copies.

– source

I used to love reading the Guiness Book of World Records when I was a kid….I would go straight to the really scary and/or gross ones, like the guy with a thousand bees on his head, or the lady who grew her fingernails twenty feet long. Kind of tells you a lot about me, doesn’t it. :>)