Last Harry Potter book first in sales

NEW YORK (AFP) - "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows," J.K. Rowlings's seventh and final book about the boy wizard, sold an estimated 8.3 million copies within 24 hours of its release, its US publisher said Sunday.

The publisher, Scholastic, said it printed a record 12 million copies in anticipation of the 12:01 am release on Saturday.

The book was magic for retailers, as well, chalking up records for bookshops in New York and other US cities.

Borders USA chief executive officer George Jones told AFP it was the biggest day in Borders' history, with 1.2 million copies of the book sold worldwide on Saturday.

Each of the Potter releases has been a number-one best-seller in the United States, Britain and around the world.

Most recently, "Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince," released on July 16, 2005, sold a record 6.9 million copies in the first 24 hours, from a press run of 10.8 million copies, Scholastic said in a statement.