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Helping to build anticipation, Scholastic also demanded affidavits from booksellers pledging not to sell [HARRY POTTER] until 12:01 a.m. Saturday. In response, a truckload of the books was stolen in Britain, and the New York Daily News bragged that its reporter had bought the new Potter at a health food shop. [Clyde Bentley] has tried to figure out the Potter phenomenon. Like most book lovers, he points primarily to the fact that the Potter books contain a \"darned good story and darned good writing.\" PHOTO; (1) Color photo - Front cover \"Harry POtter and the Order of the Phoenix\" (2) Color photo by LAURIE SKRIVAN/POST-DISPATCH - Receiver Diane Hendrix of St. Louis fills orders Monday for \"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix\" at the receiving dock at Booksource, a wholesaler in St. Louis. The books arrived in St. Louis late last week, covered in black plastic and slyly labeled \"Owl King.\"

But you'd better know most of this walking in the doors of Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Otherwise, much like the lead characters of Othello and Desdemona, you're a goner. Most of the folks filling up the seats at OTSL probably know this tragic story well. Maybe they saw a stage production of the Shakespeare pl ay or one of the old Hollywood flicks with Laurence Olivier or Orson Welles. But if your only experience with \"Othello\" is the recent Laurence Fishburne version, then you still have some catching up to do. One can't walk into \"Othello\" cold - lest they risk the chance of walking out cold. Though the opera is sung in English by an obviously well-qualified cast (obvious even to the virgin opera-goer), some of the words may still sound foreign. The choruses, for example, are beautifully sung and often mult i-layered in a way that must be difficult to coordinate. But the lyrics are often incomprehensible. And the fact that every piece of dialogue is sung could creep under your skin. This all makes the intricate storyline difficult to follow. At least those lost by the music can marvel at the glorious and incredibly detailed costuming.

Franzen recalls fondly his years at Webster Groves High School, where his physics teacher, of all people, encouraged students to put on a play. Franzen and a friend wrote the script, and \"The Fig Connection\" went on (a story of Isaac Newton, the title is a \"dumb pun\" on Fig Newtons). The script was actually purchased for $100 by a publishing house for amateur and student productions. His math teacher invited students to his house to play bridge. The physics teacher allowed students to paint murals on the classroom walls. Franzen said that teacher, Bill Blecha, \"was a remarkable man.\" (Blecha is now a chiropractor in Florida. He remembers Franzen as \"outspoken but not sassy. ... The students themselves were very creative at the time, and we wanted them to express opinions.) This year, nearly a decade after \"Strong Motion,\" most reviews have called Franzen's \"The Corrections\" a major achievement. This week is its first on The New York Times best-seller list. Not only will Franzen get a million dollars just from translation and film rights, but next year he'll be sent to Europe and Australia to promote it.