Harry Potter

Harry Potter is the name of a popular and sometimes controversial series of fantasy novels by British writer J. K. Rowling. The books depict a world of witches and wizards, the main character being a young wizard named Harry Potter. more...

The first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States), was released in 1997. As of 2006, six of the seven planned books have been published. The latest, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was published in its English-language version on 16 July 2005. The first four books have been made into films, and the fifth began filming in February 2006. English language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury, Scholastic Press, and Raincoast Books.

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Overview

Each book chronicles approximately one year in Harry's life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns to use magic and brew potions. Harry also learns to overcome many magical, social, and emotional obstacles as he struggles through his adolescence. There are seven books in the series, each slightly darker than its predecessor, as Harry ages and his nemesis, Lord Voldemort, gains power.

Publishing history

In 1990, Rowling was on a crowded train from Manchester to London when the idea for Harry simply “fell” into her head. Rowling gives an account of the experience on her website:

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