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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us July 15, 2005 Harry hubbub again Ashland is ready By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings MARILYN EDWARDS , assistant manager at Bloomsbury books, holds more than 100 presale slips for the new Harry Potter book. Orville Hector | Ashland Daily Tidings It’s like waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve or standing in line to see “Star Wars” on opening night. Except, in this case, the anticipation and excitement surrounding the release of the sixth Harry Potter book extends beyond children and aficionados to young adults, parents and, of course, the bookstore employees charged with guarding the sealed boxes of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” that arrived on Thursday with stern instructions that they cannot be opened until Saturday. No sneak peeks, no early sales — bookstore employees don’t even know what color the cover is. “This one is just totally under wraps,” said Anita Isser, the manager and children books buyer at Bloomsbury Books on East Main Street. “I have not seen it.” But all of that changes in a few hours. Both Bloomsbury Books and Treehouse Books, a children’s bookstore on the Plaza, have planned Harry Potter parties tonight to celebrate the release of the next volume of the J.K. Rowlings’ seven-book fantasy series on the young wizard. It officially goes on sale Saturday at 12:01 a.m. The 672-page “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” has been shrouded in secrecy and its debut has been highly orchestrated to enable everyone — readers and reviewers, alike — to crack it open all at once. Stores had to sign affidavits promising not to pop open the boxes until Saturday morning, or they lose their ability to sell future books on the day they are released. The book remains tucked away in storerooms around Ashland, but keeping the novel under wraps has been difficult elsewhere. On Thursday, two Indianapolis men said bought advance copies of the sixth book at a downtown bookstore. Fourteen books were accidentally sold last week at a grocery store in Canada, but a judge ordered the customers not to talk about the book, copy it, sell it or even read it before its official release. A drug store in upstate New York also accidentally sold an advance copy. The family who purchased that copy said they would return the novel. The countdown Stores around the country will start selling “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” at the stroke of midnight. Two Ashland bookstores will be open late to bring the book to locals. At Treehouse Books, fans can start arriving at the Pilaf Restaurant back porch around 11 p.m. to wait out the last 60 minutes with friends, treats and prizes. Owner Muriel Johnson, who has read the first five books, has spent the last several years stockpiling Harry Potter memorabilia that she plans to give away, along with a free book and a free CD. “It’s parents with their kids, it’s young adults who started reading the books years ago,” Johnson said. The kid-friendly party, which the store has hosted for the last two or three Harry Potter releases, is expected to pack the tiny store and last until about 12:30 a.m. Even Johnson’s 10-year-old grandson flew in from San Diego for the event. He’s read all of the books and tonight will be his third release party at Treehouse. Bloomsbury Books will hold its inaugural Harry Potter party beginning at 11:30 p.m. In the past, the store put the books on shelves first thing Saturday morning, but store employees realized people want the books as soon as possible. More than 180 of the 300 books the store have for the release have been reserved — initially Bloomsbury had ordered 200 books, but “quickly reordered” when it became evident how popular the novel would be. “At first, a few [preorders] trickled in, but of course, the bulk of them came in the past couple of weeks,” Isser said. Other bookstores — and even DJ’s Video — have sold preorders to fans who want to guarantee there’s a copy of the novel waiting for them on Saturday. And pre-release festivities are planned at the Ashland Library from 2 to 4 p.m. today. After children pass through the entrance onto Platform 9 3/4, they will be treated to Harry Potteresque games, snacks, readings and magic spells. The Children’s Department will be transformed into Hogwart’s Hall, where kids can to compete for jars of Bernie Botts beans or earn stickers and small prizes by “Sticking the Lightening Bolt on Harry.” Attendees will revisit the beginning of Harry’s saga as one of Harry’s professors reads from the first book, “The Sorcerer’s Stone.” And, the first 50 children who check out a book at the party will receive a pair of Harry Potter glasses. Staff writer Jennifer Squires can be reached at 482-3456 x 3019 or [email protected]. 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