12 million copies of Potter book

Breaking its earlier record, Scholastic Inc. announced Wednesday that it would flood the market this summer with 12 million copies of the seventh, and final, Harry Potter book: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

The previous title, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” had a first printing of 10.8 million copies in 2005 and sold 6.9 million copies in the first 24 hours, making it the fastest-selling book in history, according to the publisher.

The final book in the series will be released in the United States at 12:01 a.m. on July 21, amid growing speculation as to whether Harry himself will survive, or be killed off, as the story concludes.

Scholastic also announced a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign to accompany the release, including a Knight Bus Tour, based on the magic vehicle in the Harry Potter books. The bus will leave from New York City on June 2 and visit 40 libraries in 10 major metropolitan centers across the nation. Readers of all ages will be invited to board the bus and make video statements on their feelings about the series.

-- Josh Getlin