The excitement surrounding the conclusion of the series was unprecedented; Dickens fans were reported to have stormed the piers in New York City, shouting to arriving sailors (who might have already read the final chapters in the United Kingdom), "Is Little Nell alive?" In 2007, many newspapers claimed that the excitement at the release of the last instalment of "The Old Curiosity Shop" was the only historical comparison that could be made to the excitement at the release of the last Harry Potter novel, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".