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For an hour on Friday night, Cody’s Books on Fourth Street sold more than three books a minute. During the same time period, Pegasus Fine Books in downtown Berkeley had a line of 100 people—more than had ever been in the store at one time. 

The cause could only be one thing: Harry Potter mania. 

Over a weekend that saw five million copies of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” the fifth book in the popular series, fly off shelves across the country, Berkeley bookstores were no exception, with store managers reporting thousands of sales and scrambles to buy additional copies to last through this week. 

“We had to get more; we sold them faster than we originally thought we would,” said Pegasus junior buyer Adam Tobin. “We had a batch we intended to last for a while, but we ran through it really quickly.” 

Tobin would not comment on how many books had been sold but said the store’s staff was “thrilled” by the numbers. 

At Cody’s, marketing director Melissa Mytinger said the numbers were similarly high. The company bought 3,000 copies for its two Berkeley stores, and Mytinger said close to half were gone by Monday morning. 

“We bought a high number originally because we wanted to have enough to last for a week or so,” Mytinger said. “Now, people are coming to us because other places have run out.” 

The Cody’s store on Fourth Street and the Pegasus location on Shattuck Avenue, like bookselling giant Barnes and Noble across the street from Pegasus, began selling the books at precisely 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. Both stores said the turnout was larger than expected. 

“We figured we’d do it for the die-hard fans who couldn’t possibly wait until eight the next morning,” laughed Mytinger. 

In fact, many of those at Cody’s on Friday night could not wait until they got home to begin reading the book, a hefty tome at 870 pages. Most of the people in line were already engrossed in the early sections of the book, and many stayed in the store to continue reading. 

“Please Daddy, let’s just read the first chapter before we leave,” pleaded 7-year-old Jessica Kilpatrick. After Jessica’s father, Doug Kilpatrick, protested with an argument about bedtimes, he gave up and sat down to read. 

“She’s got me, because she knows I’m as anxious to start as she is,” the older Kilpatrick said. 

While people stood outside waiting for Cody’s to open, Pegasus held a release party for the book’s opening, featuring Harry Potter balloons, costumes, goody bags and lots of candy. The store stayed open until 1 a.m., and Tobin said the staff sold more than 100 books in the first hour. 

But Tobin acknowledged that Pegasus was hurt by its location across the street from Barnes and Noble, which began teeming with people at 10 p.m. and closed around 1 a.m. 

“We absolutely lost a lot of business to them,” Tobin said. 

The primary reason for the difference in turnout between Pegasus and Barnes and Noble was the price each store charged for the book. Pegasus customers paid the list price, $29.99, while Barnes and Noble offered the book for 40 percent off. 

“I’d like to support the independent chain, but here I can get the book for 12 bucks less,” said Berkeley resident Jesse Farmer while standing in line with his copy at Barnes and Noble. “It’s hard to turn that down.” 

The Barnes and Noble Harry Potter release party featured a costume contest, trivia contest and face-painting artist, who entertained children and adults while staff members rushed around to finalize selling procedures. The event drew between 400 and 500 people, many of whom wore the Harry Potter glasses they were handed at the door. 

Although Barnes and Noble has not yet released its selling numbers for the weekend, community relations director Schuyler Morgan said the release party was “a huge success.” Morgan said the store was able to accommodate the demand of all of its pre-orders, and sold many additional books on the spot, though people who arrived later in the evening did not get a book. Barnes and Noble received a new shipment on Tuesday. 

“We pre-ordered ours two months ago to make sure we were going to get one,” said Barnes and Noble customer Marlene Hagen, who held the new book in one hand and her costumed, face-painted daughter, Emily, in the other. “My family wouldn’t have been able to wait until Monday or even tomorrow. We’re going to start reading as soon as we get home—it’s late, but this is a special occasion.”