J K Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, yesterday disclosed the title of the seventh and final book — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Rowling has already admitted that two characters will die in the last book and the dark title should be tantalising enough to keep fans guessing to the bitter end as to whether either of her main protagonists, Voldemort and young Potter, meets their maker.
No publication date has been set for the last book but it is widely assumed that it will be released in the summer, close to the second anniversary of the publication of the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. That broke UK records, selling more than two million copies on its first day.
Rowling, one of the world's wealthiest authors with worldwide sales of more than 650 million, disclosed that she was busy completing No 7, writing parts of it in long hand sitting in a cafe in Edinburgh.
Neither Bloomsbury, Rowling's publishers, nor her official spokesman could cast any light on how she arrived at her final title yesterday.
It is possible that she dreamed it up in the shower. The author said on her website in September: "I am currently trying to decide between two possible titles. I was quite happy with one of them until the other one struck me while I was taking a shower in New York. I'll have to wait until I'm further into the book to decide which one works best."
Kes Nielsen, the head of book buying at the online retailers, Amazon, predicted: "The book's release will be met with an unprecedented level of excitement but also a sense of sadness. It will be like saying goodbye to an old friend.
"Sales of this seventh book will be extremely high, probably the highest of any of the books and the release day will be the biggest literary event of the year."
Thursday, December 21, 2006
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