From the high-security printing press of St Ives in Great Britain to the streetside on MG Road, the latest and the last of the Harry Potter series has traversed a long way. And in double quick time.
Within hours of the official release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Saturday morning, the book landed up with roadside vendors who claimed to offer the latest adventure of the world’s favourite wizard at huge discounts.
One street vendor on MG Road built a pyramid with the books. These, however, were originals. Pressed about how he got the books, he said he had bought them on a “tie-up” with a City retail shop. “I bought 50 books from the bookshop, who offered me a good discount”.
Trying to cash in on the all the hype, the peddler is selling the book for Rs 750 but is ready for a bargain. “Even if I get a margin of Rs 30 to 40 per book, it’s okay by me,” he said. After all, “people always feel they can manage to strike a big bargain when they buy something from the roadside”.
Meanwhile, London-based Bloomsbury, which publishes the Potter books, had hired secure points to house the book prior to distribution to retailers. The books were packed in bundles of 16 each.
On Saturday, release of the books to retailers began at 5:30 am.
Some City retailers were knocking the doors of distributors - IBH, IBD and Prakash Distributors - as early as 4 am, but were asked to wait.
All distributors had to sign on a legal embargo, preventing them from divulging any of the book’s content or selling copies before the release time.