LONDON, June 21: Pottermania encircled the globe on Saturday as millions of young fans rushed to buy the latest Harry Potter saga with author JK Rowling overjoyed that the plot had not leaked out.

“I don’t think anything crucial has got out so I am happy,” she said after visiting an Edinburgh bookshop at midnight, the witching hour when “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” was finally released.

With children brought to fever pitch by a three-year wait for the latest wizard instalment and a meticulously orchestrated marketing campaign, the weighty tome looks set to become the fastest-selling book of all time.

“I like Harry Potter because he deals with danger,” said eight-year-old New Zealander Matty Russell.

In Kuala Lumpur, 14-year-old Maryam Nekmat, eyes shining under her traditional Malay headscarf, said: “I’ve waited months for this.”

“People show a lot of interest in the book whatever age group they belong to,” said Kim Eun-chul at South Korea’s biggest bookstore in Seoul.

Germans could not wait for the translation that comes out in November. They eagerly snapped up English language copies at Frankfurt International Airport.—Reuters