Harry Potter Book Meets Transportation Wizards

Santa Claus may be famous for Christmas deliveries, but on July 8 FedEx Corp., United Parcel Service and Yellow Freight System usurped his ho-ho-ho all the way to bookstores, warehouses and homes of the United States, delivering the latest Harry Potter book.

Thanks to the skills of trucking companies, the eagerly-awaited books’ distribution was smooth and on time. Carriers didn’t even have to resort to such Potteresque tricks as using “floo powder,” the magical stuff wizards use to travel through chimneys and fireplaces.

In the midst of a worldwide hype over the release of the fourth Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” trucking companies quietly and efficiently geared up to distribute hundreds of thousands of the coveted books. Judging by news reports on television and in print, youngsters and oldsters alike, hooked on stories about the 14-year-old wizard’s adventures, were anxiously awaiting the 640-page tome by English author J.K. Rowling.

With 5 million copies in print in the U.S and Britain, all scheduled for release at 12:01 a.m. July 8, many bookstores in metropolitan areas were mobbed, staying open late so customers could get their books at the toll of midnight. Parents kept children up until after midnight to lay claim to their reserved copies.

For the full story, see the July 17 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.