Which Harry Potter book was the first in J.K. Rowling’s series to sell over one million UK copies on its first day?
Answer
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the first book in J.K. Rowling’s series to sell over one million UK copies on its first day.
The fifth novel was published on 21 June 2003. Reports stated that it sold more than one million copies in the United Kingdom on publication day, demonstrating the extraordinary scale the series had reached by its midpoint.
The story follows Harry’s fifth year at Hogwarts and introduces Dolores Umbridge as the Ministry of Magic’s restrictive Hogwarts High Inquisitor and Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. It is the longest novel in the original series by word count in many editions.
Later books also broke major sales records. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, published in 2007, sold more than eight million copies in the United States during its first 24 hours, but that is a different record from the UK first-day milestone associated with Order of the Phoenix.