Photos: Harry Potter and the logistical nightmare

Amazon.com has a 200,000-square-foot high-security warehouse where the "Harry Potter" books are kept before being sent out. Staff are "carefully hand-picked," according to an Amazon spokeswoman, and the company is legally bound by an agreement with publisher Bloomsbury to keep many of the details surrounding the release a closely guarded secret.

A team of employees at Amazon.com will work around the clock to ensure all copies of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" arrive on time to destinations around the world.