LONDON June 27th 2005: With just under three weeks to go until the much-anticipated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is published on 16 July 2005, Amazon, the leading online retailer, today announced that more than one million pre-orders have already been placed on its websites worldwide, for the sixth book in J.K. Rowling's series.

The one million Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince pre-orders for US & UK editions only have been received by the Amazon websites located around the world which include UK (Amazon.co.uk), USA (Amazon.com), Canada (Amazon.ca), France (Amazon.fr), Germany (Amazon.de) and Japan (Amazon.jp), which shows the excitement is building for Harry Potter fans worldwide.

The UK arm of the leading online retailer, Amazon.co.uk has already taken more than 200,000 pre-orders for the book which is now priced at £8.99 (47% percent discount), available for delivery on day of release anywhere in the UK.

More than two years ago, Amazon received more than 1.3 million pre-orders at its websites worldwide for the fifth book Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix with this title book becoming Amazon.co.uk's bestselling item ever, with 420,000 pre-orders.

Within 24 hours of the books being made available to pre-order on the Amazon.co.uk site in late December 2004, both the children's and adult versions of the sixth Harry Potter book had risen to number one and number two respectively in Amazon.co.uk's Hot 100 sales charts, and have remained in the two top spots ever since.

"Amazon customers are clearly incredibly excited about the sixth Harry Potter book and we are delighted they have chosen the Amazon websites across the globe to place one million pre-orders" said Kes Nielsen, Senior Vendor Relations Manager at Amazon.co.uk.

In mid-July, 70 lucky children from around the world will gather at Edinburgh Castle for a once-in a-lifetime opportunity to report on the new Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Amazon.co.uk has combined with Bloomsbury Publishing to give away a place for a child and an accompanying adult to attend this exciting event and have already received more than 2,500 entries! See website for more details and terms and conditions.Highlights of Harry Potter Mania in 2003

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix dominated Amazon.co.uk's bestseller list for most of 2003 and was the biggest event in e-commerce history when it was released on June 21st 2003.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix went to number one on Amazon.co.uk's Hot 100 within 2 hours of it being available to pre-order on 15 January 2003.

Amazon.co.uk shipped over 420,000 pre-ordered copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to customers across the UK and to over 150 countries world-wide, including Barbados, Nepal, Fiji and Tanzania, on Saturday June 21st 2003.

Amazon received more than 1.3 million pre-orders at its websites worldwide for Harry Potter and the Order Of The PhoenixAll the Latest Happenings in Potterville

Dedicated Harry Potter store: Amazon.co.uk's dedicated Harry Potter store (www.amazon.co.uk/harrypotter) is a one-stop destination for all the latest Harry Potter information and merchandise. In addition to pre-ordering Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) visitors to the store can save on Harry Potter-related products from across Amazon.co.uk. Fine Print

* note, delivery on day of release to UK will be via first class delivery. All prices exclude postage and packing. Subject to change and availability. Information correct at time of issue. See website for further details.

For further information please contact the Amazon.co.uk press office on 020 8636 9280.

About Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk opened its virtual doors in October 1998, and strives to be the world's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online. Amazon.co.uk and sellers list millions of new and used items in categories such as Books, Music, Video, DVD, Software, PC & Video Games, Electronics & Photo, Home & Garden, and Toys & Games!. Through Amazon Marketplace, zShops and Auctions any business or individual can sell virtually anything to Amazon.co.uk's millions of customers. Amazon.co.uk customers enjoy the benefits of industry-leading online-shopping technology, such as secure credit-card payment, personalised recommendations, streamlined, 1-Click® ordering and hassle-free Bid-Click® auction bidding. Through Amazon Anywhere, Amazon.co.uk is also available on mobile phones with WAP technology--see www.amazon.co.uk/anywhere for details.

Amazon.com and its affiliates operate seven websites: www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.ca, and www.joyo.com.

As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-looking Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to potential future losses, significant amount of indebtedness, competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions, and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, international expansion, consumer trends, inventory, limited operating history, government regulation and taxation, fraud, and new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and all subsequent filings.