Wizard! How JK cast a spell over Amazon
Boy wizard books claim 7 of top 10 spots on bestseller list
‘Edinburgh’s where Harry evolved’
THEY are the most-loved books, films and music of the Amazon generation – and Harry Potter, Ed Sheeran and the much derided Dan Brown top the list.
The boy wizard has been the dominant cultural icon, based on a survey of Amazon shoppers published today.
The list makes clear that over the 20 years that Amazon has been operating in Britain, the retail giant – which has become the High Street’s own Voldemort – can thank author JK Rowling and her Harry Potter series for huge sales and profits.
The Potter franchise claimed an astonishing seven of the top ten listings in the books category and the final one, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, placed second overall.
And when the books were translated into films, DVDs and downloads, they also captured five of the top ten film listings.
The first film featuring the boy wizard, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, came top and just ahead of the last one, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
The literature list is dominated by thrillers, fantasy, violence and sex.
The second most successful author after JK Rowling was EL James with her S&M Fifty Shades series, which supposedly triggered a surge in sales of duct tape, rope and cable ties at DIY stores. The first book, 50 Shades of Grey, was placed eighth on the list, with 50 Shades Darker at 12th and 50 Shades Freed at 14th.
Dan Brown’s heavily hyped The Da Vinci Code, which was turned into a film starring Tom Hanks, topped the books list.
Two novels from the Scandinavian noir author Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl who Played with Fire, made the list of best sellers.
Arguably the only highbrow read to make the top 20 is The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, which won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2002 yet placed a lowly 17th.
The only non-Potter films to make the top ten movies were Mamma Mia!, Saving Private Ryan, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Toy Story 2.
Despite the longevity of the appeal of eminent rock bands such as The Rolling Stones, the music list is dominated by a new generation of British pop artists, specifically Ed Sheeran and Adele.
Sheeran’s album X, which was number one in 15 countries and featured songs such as Sing and Photograph, topped the list while another of his albums, +, took fifth place.
Adele claimed three of the top ten positions with 21 in second, 25 in fourth and 19 in sixth.
Amy Winehouse was placed third with Back to Black.
Coldplay claimed two places in the top 20 while Take That was in 17th with The Circus, three places ahead of Robbie Williams and Escapology.
The late David Bowie was the only representative of Britain’s great musical heritage with his album The Next Day, which placed 19th out of 20.
The survey of 2,000 Britons also looked at other shopping trends which had the most impact and longevity.
In terms of fashion, skinny jeans came in first place, ahead of jeggings and the onesie.
The study named the Tamagotchi digital pet as the most influential toy.
The smartphone topped the tech table, ahead of Wi-Fi, broadband and social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
JK Rowling wrote the first of her Potter series in Nicolson’s Cafe, Edinburgh.
Now a Chinese restaurant, the cafe owned by her brother-inlaw was a haven for the then single mother.
She once said of the city where she still lives: ‘Edinburgh is very much home for me and it is the place where Harry evolved.’