Potter, rings fever still raging

Dumbledore, Gandalf, the Golden Snitch, the Fellowship, Middle Earth, and Hogwarts: just a few years ago, most college students were unaware of the meanings of these unusual words.

With the onset of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings book and movie mania, however, these words have become recognizable among people of all ages -- college students included.

The announcement of this year's Oscar nominations has unleashed a fresh surge of Lord of the Rings fanaticism -- Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture.

Similarly, the announcement that the long-awaited fifth Harry Potter novel will be released on June 21 has stirred Potter fans to new levels of excitement. The novel, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will be the longest yet in the series, with almost 900 pages.

According to Reuters, the fifth Potter novel will be hefty in price as well as in length: with a suggested retail price of $29.99, it ranks as the most expensive children's book ever released.

But the book's high price does not seem to be hindering the enthusiasm of Potter fans. Two hours after the fifth book's publication date was announced, it became the number one seller on Amazon.com and set a pre-order record. (The record was previously held by Potter's fourth installment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.)

"I've been so excited to read this fifth book that the price really doesn't matter," freshman and longtime Potter fan Negar Razavi said. "I heard that there are many more pages in this book, so it makes sense to have a higher price."

The Scholastic Corporation, which is publishing the book in the United States, plans an initial printing of 6.8 million copies of the book. The initial printing will be the largest ever of a general-interest hardcover book in the US.

Released on Dec. 18, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was a popular movie choice for Tufts students over winter break. Students such as freshman Adrienne Poon reserved tickets for opening night weeks, even months in advance.

"I read the [Lord of the Rings] trilogy in high school. I had seen the first movie on opening night, and I wanted to keep the tradition going with The Two Towers," Poon said.

Associate Director of the Experimental College and movie buff Howard Woolf offers an explanation as to why the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies have had such broad appeal: "Lord of the Rings has always been a consistent best seller across all demographics," he said, adding that the Rings and Harry Potter movies "captured something on screen that the readers approved of."

J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings is by no means a children's book. On the other hand, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, geared toward younger children, has still appealed to teenagers and young adults around the world.

The Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings books are some of the best- selling items at the Tufts bookstore.

"Harry Potter sells better than just about anything else in the store," Trade Book Department Supervisor Glen Whidden said. He added that both sets of books sell particularly well when their respective movies have been released.

Woolf suggested that Potter's author, J.K. Rowling, has "tapped into a deep seeded set of archetypes that everyone responds to."

The blockbuster film versions of each set of novels are also highly popular among students. The Tufts Film Series has responded to massive demand to bring these films to campus. According to Film Series Chair Davey Jones, the screenings of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films drew some of the largest crowds last school year.

"Lord of the Rings is requested the most by film series members and students," Jones said.

Aaron Kabaker, a sophomore member of the Film Series, added that "among the 'film elite,' everyone wants to see Lord of the Rings."

As Jones explained, "Now it is cool to enjoy fantasy, whereas before it was just for the nerds."