250K copies of 'Dawn' sold in one day

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. book-selling giant Borders Group Inc. announced it sold more than 250,000 copies of "Breaking Dawn" during its first day of sales Saturday.

More than 225,000 fans attended midnight book release parties at Borders and Waldenbooks stores nationwide, the company said Sunday.

The retailer added that the number of pre-orders it received for the fourth and final installment in Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" supernatural saga was second only to the "Harry Potter" books.

"We are thrilled that so many fans came to Borders and Waldenbooks not only to buy this book but also to share the experience of joining together at our parties to have fun and express their love for Stephenie Meyer and this phenomenal series," Borders Group Chief Executive Officer George Jones said in a statement. "While there are many places customers can buy bestsellers today, Borders and our dedicated store teams make the release of books like this an event in our customers' lives. It's just an example of why Borders is truly a headquarters for knowledge and entertainment."

Copyright 2008 by United Press International