Millions sign up for new Potter book

Millions of people have signed up to be the proud owner of the latest instalment in the Harry Potter series.

Fans are eager to uncover the secrets of the seventh and last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The book is released on Saturday, marking the final chapter of the now infamous bespectacled character and his friends.

More than two million people have pre-ordered copies of the book from online retailer Amazon.

The figure has smashed through the previous record of 1.5 million for the sixth instalment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The success of the extraordinary publishing phenomenon has taken off since the first book was published in 1997 as the tales of magic and mystery has proved massively popular with children and adults alike.

Rowling, who famously thought up her young hero while on a crowded train, has amassed a personal fortune of some £545 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2007.

Of that, the royalties from her books add up to £365m, with the rest made up from merchandising and income from the Harry Potter films.

The movies have also made millionaires of their young stars Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson who bring his on-screen friends Ron and Hermione to life.

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.