Harry Potter (book series)



The Harry Potter books are an extremely popular series written by author J.K. Rowling. The series spans seven books (one for each of Harry's years at Hogwarts). The first six books have also been made into movies by Warner Bros. Pictures, while the last movie is in the works. It has been confirmed by Warner Bros. that the final book will be a two-part film.

The books are based on the story of a young wizard called Harry Potter and his journey through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The stories tell of him overcoming dangerous obstacles to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort who killed his parents when Harry was only one year old. The books follow Harry and friends in a way that by the end of the seventh book, you feel like you actually known them. J.K. Rowling proves we all have magic in our hearts and we can do anything if we persevere. Another reason for the series being so popular is that the teenage readers can relate to the stories, which tell of one boy's progression through six years of school. The first Harry Potter book was published in 1997 by Bloomsbury in London. The last book alone sold more than 12 million copies in the U.S.

Publishing


It is said that J.K. Rowling sent her preliminary copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to 11 publishers before it was accepted and published by Bloomsbury.

The following is a list of publishers of the books all over the world.
 * The United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand: Bloomsbury.
 * The United States and Canada: Scholastic. The first novel appeared in these countries as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
 * France and other French-speaking countries: Gallimard Jeunesse.
 * Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries (in Latin America): Salamandra.

Bloomsbury also published Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in Latin, Welsh, Ancient Greek and Irish.

Titles of the series
The author published seven books in the Harry Potter Series, as well as numerous complementary novels.

Original series
The following is a list of the seven books in the Harry Potter Series. Each novel corresponds to a year-long length of time, usually in reference to Harry Potter's year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
 * 1) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (UK release: 26/06/97)
 * 2) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (UK release: 2/07/98)
 * 3) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (UK release: 8/07/99)
 * 4) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (UK release: 8/07/00)
 * 5) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (UK release: 21/06/03)
 * 6) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (UK release: 16/07/05)
 * 7) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (UK release: 21/07/07)



Complementary novels
The following are complementary novels, which correspond to the series:
 * Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
 * Quidditch Through the Ages
 * The Tales of Beedle the Bard

An inspiration
The Harry Potter Series inspired many other creations, such as:
 * The series inspired an extensive line of Lego playsets.
 * A film empire, created by Warner Brothers:
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- to be released July 2009 (June in India).
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1- yet to be released.
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2- yet to be released.
 * A theme park being opened in 2010 in America.
 * Numerous toy and doll sets.

Behind the scenes

 * There is a dinosaur that has been named Dracorex hogwartsia, with Hogwartsia being based on the name of Hogwarts, in honor of the series. Coincidentally, the dragon's name also contains the word "draco", but it has nothing to do with a Harry Potter book character sharing the name.
 * Many celebrites such as Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Adam Sandler and Michael Jackson are fans of the Harry Potter series.