Harry's magic number's: what began as a book for youngsters has become a cultural touchstone that has spun gold for all involved.(FILM)(Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

BOOKS

In its first 24 hours in stores, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the final installment in the book series, sold a record 8.3 million copies in the U.S., according to Scholastic, the book's publisher.

The sales for series' final installment exceeded the sales of the previous book by more than 1 million. In the first 24 hours on sale, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" sold 6.9 million copies in the U.S.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the fifth book in the series, sold 5 million copies in its first day at prices ranging from $17 to $30.

In 2007, Barnes & Noble, the world's largest bookseller, reported that the company's second-quarter profits jumped 8.9% when demand for the latest "Harry Potter" book resulted in B&N's fastest revenue growth in nearly three years.

The Harry Potter books have been translated in whole or in part into at least 67 languages; more than 450 million Potter books have been sold as of June 2011.

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ADVERTISING

According to Nielsen Co., between just the years 1998 and 2007, Harry Potter books and products ran up an …