A Barnes & Noble Exclusive: Jim Dale, Narrator of the Harry Potter Audiobooks, to Host Barnes & Noble’s Midnight Magic Party at Its Union Square Store in New York City on Friday, July 20th, Celebrating the Publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Barnes & Noble Stores Nationwide to Host Parties on July 20th

Stores Will Begin Selling the Book at the Stroke of Midnight

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, today announced an exclusive appearance by Jim Dale at its Midnight Magic Party at the Union Square Barnes & Noble (33 East 17th Street) in Manhattan on Friday, July 20th. Dale will host the party, and beginning at 10:30 PM, will discuss how he got the role of narrator, how he creates his characters’ voices and read excerpts from previous Harry Potter books. He will then lead the magical countdown to midnight when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows goes on sale.

Jim Dale is the acclaimed British actor responsible for bringing to life all the Harry Potter characters in the first six Harry Potter audiobooks. He is the winner of many awards including the Grammy� Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children 2000 and the Audie Awards’ prestigious 2004 Audio Book of the Year for his work on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Queen Elizabeth II named Dale a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his work narrating the series and bringing British Children’s literature to an American audience. To learn how Dale narrates the Potter books, log onto Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com) and watch an interview with him.

Barnes & Noble stores nationwide will host Midnight Magic parties on Friday, July 20th, to celebrate the seventh and final book in the J.K. Rowling series. Stores will remain open late and sell Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the stroke of midnight, when it officially goes on sale.