'Harry' in Hebrew in time for Hannuka

Altogether, the Harry Potter books have sold 270 million copies worldwide, in 62 languages.

By VIVA SARAH PRESS
harry potter 88 (photo credit: )
harry potter 88
(photo credit: )
Israeli Harry Potter fans have something to be in high spirits about this Hannukah. The Hebrew version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, JK Rowling's sixth book in her magical series, will hit bookstore shelves on December 22. The book, again translated by Gili Bar-Hillel, is co-published by Book in the Attic and Yediot Aharonoth Books. Hebrew-reading fans have been waiting since July 16 when Book Six went on sale worldwide. According to Books in the Attic officials, some 750,000 copies of Harry Potter books have been sold in Israel to date. Altogether, the Harry Potter books have sold 270 million copies worldwide, in 62 languages. Y-net reports that there will be an initial run of 120,000 copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. "A bestseller in Israel usually sells between 900-1000 books in a week," Eli Melzer, of Books in the Attic, told The Jerusalem Post earlier this year. He added that last year the Hebrew version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix sold a whopping 100,000 copies in its first week of sales. Book Six offers a better understanding of You-Know-Who. Quidditch is also back in the main plot-line. Ron, Hermione and Harry's adventures are packed in too. And of course there's the tale of the mysterious Half-Blood Prince. There is also another fatality of a main character in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and while Rowling said she cried when she killed off a more minor character in Book Five, the character to perish in Book Six is a far greater upset. Meanwhile the newest movie, based on the fourth book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, opens in Israel on December 8. It has already opened in Europe and in North America to rave reviews.