Ed Boggan, who works at Tall Tales Book Shop in North Druid Hills, put it best: "This is no Harry Potter."
Boggan was referring to reclusive author Harper Lee’s new novel, “Go Set a Watchman,” which went on sale Tuesday.
Lee's book revisits the characters from her first novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird," about 20 years after we last saw them. "Watchman" received a lot of attention surrounding its characters' development as well as whether Lee, now 89, actually approved the unedited book to be published.
But even with an air of excitement and speculation surrounding its release, “Go Set a Watchman” didn’t seem to have people lining up at Atlanta stores on Tuesday morning.
Buckhead's Barnes & Noble opened two hours earlier than its regular 9 a.m. start to the day. The store had themed giveaways and free coffee for the loyal first 20 customers who came in to purchase the book.
Casey Eidson, community business development manager at the store, estimated the Buckhead location had received about 200 preorders. But he was confident that there would be more than enough copies to supply the demand, beyond just the Day One preorders.
“We have plenty of books ready to hand people. We have hundreds and hundreds of books of ‘Go Set a Watchman,’” Eidson said, “so we definitely have enough to fulfill the preorders plus those customers coming in.”
Tall Tales Book Shop did not open early, but had a bookshelf full of preorders set aside for customers once the doors opened at 10 a.m.
“Everybody knows this book is here, and there is no shortage of copies or anything like that,” Boggan said.
“I just think it’s great that Harper Lee is still alive to see this,” he said, noting the modest 5,000 first printed copies of “To Kill a Mockingbird” at its release in 1960.
Some of the chatter surrounding the book has been speculation over beloved character and father Atticus Finch’s possible racist tendencies.
Atlanta lawyer Alistair McMaster said he actively tried to avoid consuming any news about the contents of Lee’s new release.
“I wanted to read it for myself and not be influenced by what people were saying about it and what came before, or just critical reviews,” he said. “I just wanted to make up my own mind … that’s what worked for me with the first book and that’s what’ll work for this one.”
Atlanta resident Dana Bev turned out at the Buckhead Barnes & Noble just an hour after it opened to purchase the novel. She said she had heard of changes in the beloved character Atticus Finch’s ideology, and she said she was initially shocked but held back on believing the chatter until she could read it herself.
“All this press on Atticus being a bad person, I just can’t believe all that,” Bev said, “so I just can’t wait to get into reading the book myself.”
She said she thinks she will finish the book in a day or two — depending on how long she can go without sleep.
More of our coverage of Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman":
» A visit to Monroeville, Ala., Harper Lee's hometown
» Brush up on your knowledge of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'
» How well do you know 'To Kill a Mockingbird'?
» Photos: Harper Lee through the years
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