Meredith Books finished the first half of fiscal 2003 on a high note, and the company expects the momentum to carry into the third quarter. For the six months ended December 31, revenue rose "in the high 20%" range, and profits nearly doubled, according to parent company Meredith Corp. Sales were led by the 12th edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, which now has 850,000 copies in print. The publisher's Home Improvement 1-2-3 series also had a solid six months, with unit sales to Home Depot up by more than 20%. For the third quarter, Meredith is counting on the first book in its Trading Spaces series, Behind the Scenes, to keep sales moving. A first printing of 325,000 has been set, and Meredith has orders for 300,000 copies.