SEATTLE--Dec. 4, 2001--
WHAT: As 2001 winds to a close, Amazon.com (Nasdaq:AMZN), the No. 1 online retailer, today announced the hottest books, CDs, videos and DVDs of the year as determined by customer sales and editor picks. An annual tradition, Amazon.com's "Best of" site feature, located at www.amazon.com/best-of-2001, includes Amazon.com's 100 bestselling books, CDs, videos and DVDs of the year, as well as the year's top 100 books, CDs, videos and DVDs as selected by Amazon.com's expert editors. Amazon.com's Best of 2001 are: Amazon.com Best of 2001 Category Bestsellers: Book: The Harry Potter Schoolbooks: Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, J.K. Rowling CD: O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack DVD: Star Wars: Episode I, the Phantom Menace Video: Living Yoga: A.M./P.M. Yoga for Beginners Set Amazon.com Best of 2001 Editors' Picks: Book: Peace Like a River, Leif Enger CD: "Love and Theft," Bob Dylan DVD: The Godfather DVD Collection Video: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2001 TRENDS: Books -- Amazon.com Top Sellers: Harry Potter is still No. 1: The Harry Potter phenomenon continued in 2001 as the young wizard once again captured Amazon.com's No. 1 bestseller spot. The Harry Potter schoolbooks, Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them were Amazon.com's bestselling set in 2001. J.K. Rowling's popular series claims four of the top 25 spots on the list, including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) at No. 11; last year's No. 1 bestselling book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4), at No. 9; and the not-yet-published Harry Potter 5 in the No. 22 spot on the bestseller list based solely on pre-orders. Books -- Editors' Picks: Amazon.com editors' top choice for book of the year is an ambitious novel about a dysfunctional Midwestern family. No, not Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections (which was picked No. 2 by Amazon.com editors). Rather, it's Leif Enger's stunning first novel, Peace Like a River, which traces the lives of a Minnesota family in the early 1960s. Music -- Amazon.com Top Sellers: Following September 11, consumers looked to music for comfort and solace, creating unexpected year-end hits such as Enya's soothing melodies in A Day Without Rain, Amazon.com's No. 3 bestselling CD of 2001. The musical tribute God Bless America, a compilation of patriotic songs, is Amazon.com's No. 5 bestselling CD of the year. Music -- Editors' Picks: In a year when he turned 60, Bob Dylan proved he was still vital musically with the release of his 43rd album, "Love and Theft," which Amazon.com music editors picked as their album of the year. A trio of younger artists closely followed Dylan, with Macy Gray's The Id in the No. 2 spot on the editors' Music list, The White Stripes' White Blood Cells at No. 3 and Bjork's Vespertine at No. 4. Video and DVD -- Amazon.com Top Sellers: Health, mind and body titles flex their muscles on top 10 video lists. Fitness reigns as related titles claim 5 of the top 10 bestselling video spots for the year at Amazon.com, including the No. 1 and No. 2 positions with Living Yoga: A.M./P.M. Yoga for Beginners Set and Pilates Beginning Mat Workout. Eagerly anticipated DVDs finish on top: In a battle that pitted two of the most frequently requested titles ever released on DVD against each other, Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace battled The Godfather DVD Collection for the No. 1 spot on Amazon.com's sales chart. Both DVDs made the top 5 bestsellers list, with Star Wars coming out at No. 1 and The Godfather DVD Collection close behind at No. 4. Video and DVD -- Editors' Picks: This year, Amazon.com editors recognized classics newly released in the DVD format. Among the editors' top 10 DVD picks for 2001 are Orson Welles' 1941 masterpiece, Citizen Kane (Special Edition), at No. 4, Close Encounters of the Third Kind at No. 7 and the epic biographical adventure Lawrence of Arabia in the No. 10 spot. More obscure titles are also prominent among the editors' top 10 DVD and video picks. Ultraviolet, the coolly stylish British miniseries about vampires, is No. 9 on the Amazon.com editors' DVD list and No. 10 on their VHS list, while the highly acclaimed film In the Mood for Love, from Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai, was selected for the No. 6 spot on the editors' VHS list. WHERE: To view complete music, video, books, DVD and video lists, as well as lists in categories including Electronics, Software, Tools & Hardware, Kitchen & Housewares and more, log on to www.amazon.com/best-of-2001.