Well, Publisher’s Lunch had a bit in it today about the leak of the newest installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. According to this article, there have been numerous leaks reported, but all them have turned out to be fakes, or Fan Fiction. It seems that this time, some spoiled sport has really done it, and posted a full copy of J.K. Rowling’s conclusion to Harry’s story on the Internet. A hard to read copy, featuring photographs of the books pages, but enough to provide massive spoilers. There are various theories on how this could have happened, and whether this is a legitimate copy of the book or not.
Scholastic released this (Thanks to MuggleNet.com):
PRESS RELEASE:
Scholastic has recently learned that some individuals have received copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows through the mail , beginning on Tuesday, July 17th, as a result of a breach of the on-sale agreement by the distributor, Levy Home Entertainment, and shipments made by DeepDiscount.com, a customer of that distributor. We are taking immediate legal action against DeepDiscount.com and Levy Home Entertainment. The number of copies shipped is around one one-hundredth of one percent of the total U.S. copies to go on sale at 12:01 am on July 21st.We are also making a direct appeal to the Harry Potter fans who bought their books from DeepDiscount.com and may receive copies early requesting that they keep the packages hidden until midnight on July 21st.
Scholastic is especially grateful to the other retailers and distributors for their careful attention to keeping the books secure until the release time and for planning thousands of spectacular midnight parties where fans will celebrate together. And we ask everyone, especially the media, to preserve the fun and excitement for fans everywhere.
The fans themselves have made it abundantly clear that they are looking forward to going to the midnight parties, receiving their very own copy of the book and finally getting to read the book they have so anxiously awaited.
The TorrentFreak blogger makes this remark:
Die-hard fans of the series will undoubtedly rush to grab a copy of the torrent for themselves.
Maybe some will. But not this fan.
When I first discovered the Harry Potter magic, I did so as a skeptic. And, I admit, as a jealous unpublished writer who thought, “Yeah, yeah. Another down on their luck writer ‘all of a sudden’ makes it big. Whoo hoo. Hype-hype-hype.” Bad form, I readily admit. (Maybe I shouldn’t be so forthcoming, it isn’t attractive! 
)
So one day, I settled myself into a cushy Barnes and Noble chair and opened Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. BAM! Page one got me, and by the time it was time for me to rouse myself and go back to work, I had to buy the book so I could take it with me and finish it! J.K. Rowling had cast a spell over me with Harry Potter and his adventures. As far as I’m concerned, she’s earned every bit off acclaim she’s received.
Fan that I am, I WILL NOT be rushing to the websites that have the leaked pages. First of all, I respect the author and her wishes. She’s released this statement:
We are almost there! As launch night looms, let’s all, please, ignore the misinformation popping up on the web and in the press on the plot of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I’d like to ask everyone who calls themselves a Potter fan to help preserve the secrecy of the plot for all those who are looking forward to reading the book at the same time on publication day. In a very short time you will know EVERYTHING!
Another reason– I don’t WANT the surprise ruined. I’ve never understood why some people take so much pleasure in spoiling surprises. At Christmas, I do everything I can not to find out what gifts may be coming my way. (I’ve always suspected Brother was a peeker. Don’t tell him I said so. But I think he was.) I don’t want the ending to movies sprung on me before I see the show. I don’t want to have a ‘fortune teller’ lay the rest of my life out before me.
The suspense, the anticipation, all those excited feelings are all part of it for me. I want to open up Deathly Hallows and read for myself how the journey turns out. I don’t want it spoiled for me.
What do the people who post these Harry Potter spoilers want to get out of this? What’s in it for them? Yay, you’re first, you know the ending before anyone else, and get to spoil it for millions of others. And this makes you. . . what? Popular? Big Man on the Internet? What?
No one can force people to read the spoilers. But what’s to stop other mean-spirited spoilers from blabbing it out before someone can cover their ears?
All I can do is my part, I guess. I’m waiting eagerly until the 21st, so we can read it for ourselves.
July 19, 2007 at 3:25 pm
I agree completely with your commentary on spoilers–and not just on Harry Potter. Hey, I don’t even read the synopsis portions of reviews! I like the story to unfold naturally, in a way that I can participate in the game as a reader. No way do I want to know what’s going to happen ANYWHERE in the story, but most especially at the end.
But some people get their jollies in very weird ways. In this case, it must be a false sense of importance from very small-minded people.
July 19, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Thanks, Jacquie!
That’s exactly it!
July 19, 2007 at 9:52 pm
I’m one of the freaks who doesn’t mind spoilers. There are times I want to know if the ending will make me believe I just wasted my time.
However, I do NOT believe in spoiling it for those who don’t want to know.
Unfortunately, I have been unable to get excited over the HP series. I tried, I really did, but couldn’t get past the abusive relatives aspect of the plot (I saw too much of that kind of thing at work). The only book I’ve read is the first one, and bits of the subsequent tomes, and I have not seen more than the trailers of each movie.
On an up note, there have been numerous times that my younger son has been stopped by total strangers who say, “Do you know who you look like? Harry Potter from the movies!”
Oh, he knows, BELIEVE me, he knows!
July 20, 2007 at 8:38 pm
He gets a kick out of that, huh?
Your post kinds reminds me of the character Harry Burns in When Harry Met Sally. He reads the ending of a book first, in case he dies before he gets to it! 
July 21, 2007 at 12:25 am
For years, he was Harry Potter every Halloween. Everyone else was scrambling to think of a costume, but he was always ready.
Oh, I don’t read the endings of mysteries, and I’ll read most books the “normal” way, but there are times I just can’t stand the suspense. Most of the time, it actually helps me enjoy the story more, because I can see how the author guides the reader to the conclusion.
Enjoy your book! MMM is looking forward to getting his copy. I’m hoping to wrest it from him long enough to read the end. Yeah, I’m terrible! LOL
July 21, 2007 at 11:26 am
Sometimes I struggle with reading a little bit ahead myself (but not an ending)…I usually do it when I’m reading in bed and get a little sleepy, scan to see if I should but the book down, or if I need to stay awake for a really good part!