The Girl In The Spider’s Web Sells More Than 200,000 Copies In First Week On Sale

The fourth book in Stieg Larsson’s bestselling Millennium Series, THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB by David Lagercrantz, has sold more than 200,000 copies in hardcover and eBook editions during its first week on sale in the U.S., it was announced today by Sonny Mehta, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Alfred A. Knopf. “The response from readers has been beyond what we’d anticipated and speaks to the connection readers have to this series,” said Mehta. “Lisbeth Salander is one of the most compelling heroines of 21st century crime literature and I am thrilled to see readers have welcomed her return.”

In light of the continuing demand from retailers, Knopf has gone back to press for four additional printings. There are now more than 450,000 copies of the book in print in the U.S. alone. The book debuted at number one on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list September 8th and will debut at number one on the USA Today and Indiebound bestseller lists on September 10th and on the New York Times bestseller list on September 20th. THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB – written by Lagercrantz in secrecy and embargoed until official publication last week– has earned critical praise as well. Entertainment Weekly calls it, “thrillingly good” and The Chicago Tribune praises it as, “riveting,” and raves, “Lagercrantz deftly blends the spirit of Larsson’s work and characters with his own literary skills and bright imagination.”

David Lagercrantz will visit the U.S. next week in support of THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB. He will appear with Knopf Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Sonny Mehta for the launch of Hearst’s Master Class series on Tuesday, September 15th, and he will also discuss the book at New York’s Scandinavia House. On Thursday, September 17th, Lagercrantz and Mehta will join NPR’s Diane Rehm for an hour-long conversation about the book and crime fiction.

THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB is a continuation of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Series. Larsson died of a heart attack in 2004 and his estate selected Lagercrantz, a Swedish journalist and novelist, to write the fourth book. The original three books in the series—”The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Girl Who Played with Fire” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”—have sold 80 million copies in 50 territories, including 24 million copies in the U.S.

The new book officially went on sale in 24 countries on August 27th and in the U.S. and Canada on September 1st.