ASTERIX AND THE ACTRESS (HB) was the first new Asterix release for five years 100,000 copies of hardback edition sold Hardback enjoyed a record-breaking first print run Global sales of Asterix outstrip Harry Potter 11,000 web sites devoted to Asterix Combined UK sales of the last 5 books is over 2.2 million copies More than 300 million Asterix books sold world-wide Follows the re-launch of the last 6 Asterix titles by Orion

The Asterix books represent the very summit of our achievement as a literary race. In Asterix one finds all of human life. The fact that the books were written originally in French is no matter. I have read them all in many languages and, like all great literature, they are best in English. Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge, Asterix's translators since the very beginning, have made great books into eternal flames. THE TIMES"