What's the longest Harry Potter book?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
The second book, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", was originally published in the UK on July 2, 1998 and later, in the US on June 2, 1999. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was then published a year later in the UK on July 8, 1999 and in the US on September 8, 1999. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was published on 8 July 2000 at the same time by Bloomsbury and Scholastic. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is the longest book in the series at 766 pages in the UK version and 870 pages in the US version. It was published worldwide in English on June 21, 2003. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was published on July 16, 2005 and sold 11 million copies in the first 24 hours of its worldwide release. The seventh and final novel, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", was published on July 21, 2007. The book sold 11 million copies within 24 hours of its release: 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US.
Harry Potter (character)
In the second book, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", Rowling pits Harry against Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort's "memory" within a secret diary which has possessed Ron's younger sister Ginny. When Muggle-born students are suddenly being Petrified, many suspect that Harry may be behind the attacks, further alienating him from his peers. Furthermore, Harry begins to doubt his worthiness for House of Gryffindor, particularly considering he discovers he shares Lord Voldemort's ability to communicate with snakes via Parseltongue. In the climax, Ginny disappears. To rescue her, Harry battles Riddle and the monster he controls that is hidden in the Chamber of Secrets. To defeat the monster, Harry summons the Sword of Godric Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat supplied by Dumbledore's pet phoenix, Fawkes. In doing so, Dumbledore later restores Harry's self-esteem by explaining that that feat is clear proof of his worthiness of his present house.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2" grossed $381,011,219 in the United States and Canada, along with $960,500,000 in other markets, for a worldwide total of $1,341,511,219. In worldwide earnings, it is currently the tenth-highest-grossing film, the highest-grossing 2011 film, the highest-grossing film in the "Harry Potter" franchise and the highest-grossing children's book adaptation. "Part 2" set a worldwide opening-weekend record with $483.2 million. It set a worldwide IMAX opening-weekend record with $23.2 million. In worldwide earnings, it is the fastest film to reach $400 million (5 days), $500 million (6 days), $600 million (8 days), $700 million (10 days), $800 million (12 days), $900 million (15 days), and $1 billion (19 days, tied with "Avatar" and "Marvel's The Avengers"). On 31 July 2011 (its 19th day of release), it became the ninth film in cinematic history and the second in 2011 to surpass the $1-billion mark.
Religious debates over the Harry Potter series
The books' inclusion in public and school libraries has been frequently challenged for their focus on magic, particularly in the United States, where it was ranked seventh on the list of the most challenged books in American libraries between 1990 and 2000 despite having been first published in the United States in 1998. In 1999, the "Harry Potter" books were challenged 23 times in 13 states. According to the American Library Association, they are now the most challenged books of the 21st century.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The story begins nineteen years after the events of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and follows Harry Potter, now a Ministry of Magic employee, and his younger son Albus Severus Potter, who is about to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" was published in the UK on 2 July 1998 and in the US on 2 June 1999. It immediately took first place in UK best-seller lists, displacing popular authors such as John Grisham, Tom Clancy, and Terry Pratchett, and making Rowling the first author to win the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year for two years in succession. In June 1999, it went straight to the top of three US best-seller lists, including "The New York Times"'.
Quidditch Through the Ages
Quidditch Through the Ages is a 2001 book written by British author J. K. Rowling using the pseudonym of Kennilworthy Whisp about Quidditch in the "Harry Potter" universe. It purports to be the Hogwarts library's copy of the non-fiction book of the same name mentioned in several novels of the "Harry Potter" series.
Harry Potter
The series continues with "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", describing Harry's second year at Hogwarts. He and his friends investigate a 50-year-old mystery that appears uncannily related to recent sinister events at the school. Ron's younger sister, Ginny Weasley, enrolls in her first year at Hogwarts, and finds an old notebook in her belongings which turns out to be the diary of a previous student, Tom Marvolo Riddle, later revealed to be Voldemort's younger self, who is bent on ridding the school of "mudbloods", a derogatory term describing wizards and witches of non-magical parentage. The memory of Tom Riddle resides inside of the diary and when Ginny begins to confide in the diary, Voldemort is able to possess her. Through the diary, Ginny acts on Voldemort's orders and unconsciously opens the "Chamber of Secrets", unleashing an ancient monster, later revealed to be a basilisk, which begins attacking students at Hogwarts. It kills those who make direct eye contact with it and petrifies those who look at it indirectly. The book also introduces a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, a highly cheerful, self-conceited wizard with a pretentious facade, later turning out to be a fraud. Harry discovers that prejudice exists in the Wizarding World through delving into the school's history, and learns that Voldemort's reign of terror was often directed at wizards and witches who were descended from Muggles. Harry also learns about the innate ability of his to speak the snake language Parseltongue is rare and often associated with the Dark Arts. When Hermione is attacked and petrified, Harry and Ron finally piece together the puzzles and unlock the Chamber of Secrets, with Harry destroying the diary for good and saving Ginny, and also destroying a part of Voldemort's soul. The end of the book reveals Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father and rival of Ron and Ginny's father, to be the culprit who slipped the book into Ginny's belongings and introduced the diary into Hogwarts.
Pottermore
On 23 June 2015, Pottermore gave users access to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", the final book.
A Very Potter Sequel
A Very Potter Sequel (often shortened to AVPS) is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden. The story is a parody, based on several of the "Harry Potter" novels (particularly "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix") by J. K. Rowling, as well as their film counterparts.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
With the "Goblet of Fire" novel almost twice the length of "Prisoner of Azkaban", the writers and producers reduced certain scenes and concepts to make the transition from page to screen. Director Mike Newell described the problem as one of "compressing a huge book into the compass of a movie". This was achieved by "putting aside" all the components of the novel which did not directly relate to Harry and his journey.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is the third book in the "Harry Potter" series. The first, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the US), was published by Bloomsbury on 26 June 1997 and the second, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", was published on 2 July 1998. Rowling started to write the "Prisoner of Azkaban" the day after she finished "The Chamber of Secrets".
Harry Potter
Stephen King called the series "a feat of which only a superior imagination is capable", and declared "Rowling's punning, one-eyebrow-cocked sense of humor" to be "remarkable". However, he wrote that despite the story being "a good one", he is "a little tired of discovering Harry at home with his horrible aunt and uncle", the formulaic beginning of all seven books. King has also joked that "Rowling's never met an adverb she did not like!" He does however predict that Harry Potter "will indeed stand time's test and wind up on a shelf where only the best are kept; I think Harry will take his place with Alice, Huck, Frodo, and Dorothy and this is one series not just for the decade, but for the ages". Sameer Rahim of "The Daily Telegraph" disagreed, saying "It depresses me to see 16 and 17 year-olds reading the series when they could be reading the great novels of childhood such as "Oliver Twist" or "A House for Mr Biswas". What that says about the adults who are fanatical fans I'm not sure – but I suspect in years to come people will make a link between our plump, comfortable, infantilising society and the popularity of Potter."
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Rowling stated that she had "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" "planned for years", but she spent an entire two months going over her plan before she began writing the story seriously. This was a lesson learned after she did not check the plan for "Goblet of Fire" and had to rewrite an entire third of the book. She started writing the book before her second child, David, was born, but she took a break to care for him. The first chapter, "The Other Minister", which features the meeting between the Muggle Prime Minister, the Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, and his successor, Rufus Scrimgeour, was a concept Rowling tried to start in "Philosopher's Stone", "Prisoner of Azkaban", and "Order of the Phoenix", but she found "it finally works" in "Half-Blood Prince". She stated that she was "seriously upset" writing the end of the book, although "Goblet of Fire" was the hardest to write. When asked if she liked the book, she responded, "I like it better than I liked 'Goblet', 'Phoenix' or 'Chamber' when I finished them. Book six does what I wanted it to do and even if nobody else likes it (and some won't), I know it will remain one of my favourites of the series. Ultimately you have to please yourself before you please anyone else!"
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
Chris Tilly of IGN UK commented on the length of the film, saying "while on occasion it drags, the 153-minute run-time never feels too long, thanks in no small part to the astonishing visuals and (largely) marvellous performances," and goes on to say, "This is by far the best-looking of the Potter films thus far," commending the "beautiful" Quidditch match and the "stunning" finale. However, Dave Golder of SFX magazine found some aspects of the film to be a disappointment, largely due to the large number of opportunities the director and screenwriter had sacrificed to devote "huge swathes of the film to subplots of Harry and his chums' teenage romances," but nevertheless found the film to be a large enjoyment, praising the performances of Jim Broadbent and Alan Rickman.
Pottermore
The first seven chapters of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" were released on 20 December 2012. Chapters eight through fifteen were later released on 10 April 2013. Chapters sixteen through twenty-two were released 31 July 2013, along with a new layout of Pottermore that includes a new gateway, a separate way of going through Harry's story and the user's, and three more moments added to "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone".
Harry Potter: A History of Magic
The Bloomsbury edition of "Harry Potter: A Journey Through a History of Magic" () is a 144-page softcover book geared towards younger audiences. This book also includes images and descriptions of artefacts displayed in the British exhibition, including some of Rowling's original works, although due to its smaller size there are less artefacts featured than found in the exhibition's other official publication. The text of this book is written for readers eight years of age and older. It was published 20 October 2017, in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition at the British Library, and is available in the United Kingdom. With the release of the physical book, a digital e-book edition () was published by Pottermore.
Harry Potter
When the first novel of the series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (published in the United States as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone") opens, it is apparent that some significant event has taken place in the wizarding world – an event so very remarkable, even Muggles (non-magical people) notice signs of it. The full background to this event and Harry Potter's past is revealed gradually throughout the series. After the introductory chapter, the book leaps forward to a time shortly before Harry Potter's eleventh birthday, and it is at this point that his magical background begins to be revealed.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
"Potter" fans waited three years between the releases of the fourth and fifth books. Before the release of the fifth book, 200 million copies of the first four books had already been sold and translated into 55 languages in 200 countries. As the series was already a global phenomenon, the book forged new pre-order records, with thousands of people queuing outside book stores on 20 June 2003 to secure their copy at midnight. Despite the security, thousands of copies were stolen from an Earlestown, Merseyside warehouse on 15 June 2003.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" won several awards, including the 1999 Booklist Editors' Choice Award, the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers, the 1999 FCGB Children's Book Award, the 1999 Whitbread Book of the Year for children's books., and the 2000 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. It was also nominated for the 2000 Hugo Award for Best Novel, the first in the series nominated, but lost to "A Deepness in the Sky". "Prisoner of Azkaban" additionally won the 2004 Indian Paintbrush Book Award and the 2004 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award. Additionally, it was named an American Library Association Notable Children's Book in 2000 as well as one of their Best Books for Young Adults. As with the previous two books in the series, "Prisoner of Azkaban" won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Gold Medal for children aged 9–11 and made the top of the New York Times Best Seller list. In both cases, it was the last in the series to do so. However, in the latter case, a Children's Best Sellers list was created just before the release of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" in July 2000 in order to free up more room on the original list. In 2003, the novel was listed at number 24 on the BBC's survey The Big Read.
Harry Potter in translation
Some translations, such as those to the dead Latin and Ancient Greek languages, were done as academic exercises, to stimulate interest in the languages and to provide students of those languages with modern reading texts. The Ancient Greek version, according to the translator, is the longest text written in Ancient Greek since the novels of Heliodorus of Emesa in the 3rd century AD, and took about a year to complete.
Harry Potter in translation
The "Harry Potter" series of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling is one of the most translated series of all time, with the first book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", having been translated into over 74 languages. This includes languages diverse as Azerbaijani, Malayalam and Welsh as well as the dead languages Latin and Ancient Greek. This makes it the longest published work in Ancient Greek since the novels of Heliodorus of Emesa in the 3rd century AD. Additionally, regional adaptations of the books have been made to accommodate regional dialects such as the American English edition or the Valencian adaptation of Catalan.
Harry Potter influences and analogues
Also in 1999, Rowling said in interview that she was a great fan of "Grimble" by Clement Freud, saying: "Grimble is one of funniest books I've ever read, and Grimble himself, who is a small boy, is a fabulous character. I'd love to see a "Grimble" film. As far as I know, these last two fine pieces of literature are out of print, so if any publishers ever read this, could you please dust them off and put them back in print so other people can read them?"
Harry Potter
The "Harry Potter" series has been recognised by a host of awards since the initial publication of "Philosopher's Stone" including four Whitaker Platinum Book Awards (all of which were awarded in 2001), three Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes (1997–1999), two Scottish Arts Council Book Awards (1999 and 2001), the inaugural Whitbread children's book of the year award (1999), the WHSmith book of the year (2006), among others. In 2000, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novel, and in 2001, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" won said award. Honours include a commendation for the Carnegie Medal (1997), a short listing for the Guardian Children's Award (1998), and numerous listings on the notable books, editors' Choices, and best books lists of the American Library Association, "The New York Times", Chicago Public Library, and "Publishers Weekly".
The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter
The 220-pages-long book features 53 chapters. Colbert writes about the connections between Rowling's novels and folklore, Greek mythology, and the cultures of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, and the Aztec. For example, he explains that Rowling got the name for the character Draco Malfoy from the Latin word for dragon, "draco". One of the connections to folklore that Colbert find the most fascinating is the name of the evil wizard family The Malfoys. They are named after the Latin word for "evil-doer", "maleficus", which was used in medieval times to describe witches. In addition, there is a chapter in the book that explains the origins of the names of the spells featured in the "Harry Potter" series.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Bloomsbury accepted the book, paying Rowling a £2,500 advance, and Cunningham sent proof copies to carefully chosen authors, critics and booksellers in order to obtain comments that could be quoted when the book was launched. He was less concerned about the book's length than about its author's name, since the title sounded like a boys' book to him, and he believed boys preferred books by male authors. Rowling therefore adopted the "nom de plume" J.K. Rowling just before publication. In June 1997, Bloomsbury published "Philosopher's Stone" with an initial print-run of 500 copies in hardback, three hundred of which were distributed to libraries. Her original name, "Joanne Rowling", can be found in small print on the copyright page of this first British edition. (The 1998 first American edition would remove reference to "Joanne" completely.) The short initial print run was standard for first novels, and Cunningham hoped booksellers would read the book and recommend it to customers. Examples from this initial print run have sold for as much as US$33,460 in a 2007 Heritage Auction.
Ginny Weasley
Ginevra Molly "Ginny" Weasley is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novel series. Ginny is introduced in the first book" Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", as the youngest sibling and only girl in the Weasley family. She becomes Harry's main love interest and eventually marries him at the conclusion of the series.
Harry Potter
Since the release of the first novel, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", on 26 June 1997, the books have found immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide. They have attracted a wide adult audience as well as younger readers and are often considered cornerstones of modern young adult literature. The series has also had its share of criticism, including concern about the increasingly dark tone as the series progressed, as well as the often gruesome and graphic violence it depicts. , the books have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide, making them the best-selling book series in history, and have been translated into eighty languages. The last four books consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history, with the final instalment selling roughly eleven million copies in the United States within twenty-four hours of its release.
British literature
J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" fantasy series is a sequence of seven novels that chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter is the best selling book-series in history. The series has been translated into 67 languages, placing Rowling among the most translated authors in history. Cressida Cowell wrote "How to Train Your Dragon", a series of twelve books set in a fictional Viking world.
J. K. Rowling
In May 2008, bookseller Waterstones asked Rowling and 12 other writers (Lisa Appignanesi, Margaret Atwood, Lauren Child, Sebastian Faulks, Richard Ford, Neil Gaiman, Nick Hornby, Doris Lessing, Michael Rosen, Axel Scheffler, Tom Stoppard and Irvine Welsh) to compose a short piece of their own choosing on a single A5 card, which would then be sold at auction in aid of the charities Dyslexia Action and English PEN. Rowling's contribution was an 800-word "Harry Potter" prequel that concerns Harry's father, James Potter, and godfather, Sirius Black, and takes place three years before Harry was born. The cards were collated and sold for charity in book form in August 2008.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Gregory Maguire wrote a review in "The New York Times" for "Prisoner of Azkaban": in it he said, "So far, in terms of plot, the books do nothing new, but they do it brilliantly...so far, so good." In a newspaper review in "The New York Times", it was said that "'The Prisoner of Azkaban' may be the best 'Harry Potter' book yet". A reviewer for KidsReads said, "This crisply-paced fantasy will leave you hungry for the four additional Harry books that J.K. Rowling is working on. Harry's third year is a charm. Don't miss it." "Kirkus Reviews" did not give a starred review but said, "a properly pulse-pounding climax...The main characters and the continuing story both come along so smartly...that the book seems shorter than its page count: have readers clear their calendars if they are fans, or get out of the way if they are not." Martha V. Parravano also gave a positive review for "The Horn Book Magazine", calling it "quite a good book." In addition, a "Publishers Weekly" review said, "Rowling's wit never flags, whether constructing the workings of the wizard world...or tossing off quick jokes...The Potter spell is holding strong.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The title of the book refers to three mythical objects featured in the story, collectively known as the "Deathly Hallows"—an unbeatable wand, a stone to bring the dead to life, and a cloak of invisibility. Shortly before releasing the title, J. K. Rowling announced that she had considered three titles for the book. The final title was released to the public on 21 December 2006, via a special Christmas-themed hangman puzzle on Rowling's website, confirmed shortly afterwards by the book's publishers. When asked during a live chat about the other titles she had been considering, Rowling mentioned "Harry Potter and the Elder Wand" and "Harry Potter and the Peverell Quest".
Religious debates over the Harry Potter series
In July 2006, Sariya Allan, a teaching assistant at Durand Primary School in Stockwell, South London, quit her job after she was suspended for refusing to listen to a seven-year-old pupil read a "Harry Potter" book in class. A practising Pentecostal, she told the girl that "I don't do witchcraft in any form," and that she would be "cursed" if she heard the novel recited. Allan took her dispute with the school to an Employment Tribunal, citing religious discrimination and claiming for damages. The school's lawyer claimed that, "her suspension was due to her obstructive conduct over time. It was not down to that day alone." The case was heard in June 2007 and the tribunal found in favour of the school.
Rupert Grint
Starting in 2000, casting began for the film adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", the best-selling novel written by author J. K. Rowling. Rowling personally insisted that the cast be British and assisted Susie Figgis and director Chris Columbus in casting the roles. Grint chose to audition for the role of protagonist Ron Weasley, one of Harry Potter's best friends at Hogwarts, and was a fan of the book series. Having seen a "Newsround" report about the open casting, he sent in a video of himself rapping about how he wished to receive the role. His attempt was successful as the casting team asked for a meeting with him. On 8 August 2000, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and an 11-year-old Grint were selected to play the roles of Harry, Hermione Granger, and Ron, respectively. Grint is the oldest member of the trio. The release of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in 2001 was Grint's debut screen performance. Breaking records for opening-day sales and opening-weekend takings, it was the highest-grossing film of that year. With a total of US$974 million in its theatrical run, "Philosopher's Stone" stands as the second most commercially successful entry in the series. It was also critically well-received, scoring mainly positive reviews from critics. However, a number of critics found the adaption staying faithful to the book to be both its best and worst quality. Grint won a Satellite Award in the category of "Outstanding New Talent", and a Young Artist Award for "Most Promising Young Newcomer".
Harry Potter in translation
For reasons of secrecy, translations were only allowed to begin after each book had been published in English, creating a lag of several months for readers of other languages. Impatient fans in many places simply bought the book in English instead. In France in 2003 the fifth book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", became the first book in English to top the French best-seller list. Another response to this, and unavailability in certain languages, has been fans creating their own translations unofficially.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released in the United States and India as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on J. K. Rowling's 1997 novel of the same name. The film is the first instalment of the "Harry Potter" film series and was written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman. Its story follows Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as he discovers that he is a famous wizard and begins his education. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.
List of fictional books
This is a list of books mentioned in the "Harry Potter" series. Titles specifically mentioned as textbooks are listed first, by class, followed by other books listed by general topic. Note that three of the following fictional books have since been written and published in the real world: "Quidditch Through the Ages" by Kennilworthy Whisp (2001), "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by Newt Scamander (2001), and "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" (2007, 2008).
Harry Potter
Early in its history, "Harry Potter" received positive reviews. On publication, the first book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", attracted attention from the Scottish newspapers, such as "The Scotsman", which said it had "all the makings of a classic", and "The Glasgow Herald", which called it "Magic stuff". Soon the English newspapers joined in, with more than one comparing it to Roald Dahl's work: "The Mail on Sunday" rated it as "the most imaginative debut since Roald Dahl", a view echoed by "The Sunday Times" ("comparisons to Dahl are, this time, justified"), while "The Guardian" called it "a richly textured novel given lift-off by an inventive wit".
Harry Potter influences and analogues
Rowling also cites the work of T. H. White, a grammar school teacher, and the author of the well-known children's classic saga, "The Once and Future King", which tells the story of King Arthur of Britain, from childhood to grave. Perhaps the best-known book from this saga is "The Sword in the Stone" (the first book) which was made into an animated movie by Walt Disney. Arthur (called Wart) is a small scruffy-haired orphan, who meets the wizard Merlin (who has an owl, Archimedes, and acts, much like Dumbledore, in the manner of an "absent-minded professor") who takes him to a castle to educate him. As writer Phyllis Morris notes, "The parallels between Dumbledore and Merlin do not end with the protection of the hero in danger ... In addition to both characters sporting long, flowing beards (and blue eyes,
according to T.H. White), Merlin was King Arthur's mentor and guide, as Dumbledore has been Harry's guide and mentor." Rowling describes Wart as "Harry's spiritual ancestor."
Pottermore
The first 11 chapters of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" were released on the site in October 2013. In these chapters, users could do things from the book, such as see The Dark Mark, watch the Quidditch World Cup, and find a Chudley Cannons badge in Ron Weasley's room. Chapters 12 through 20 were released on 16 January 2014. The final chapters, Chapter 21 through 37, were released to Ravenclaw members on 30 July 2014, and then to the public on 31 July 2014. Chapters 2, 22, 29, and 33 of Goblet of Fire have no interactive moments to explore, however, their descriptions are still available to read when each chapter is clicked.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Throughout the three previous novels in the "Harry Potter" series, the main character, Harry Potter, has struggled with the difficulties of growing up, and the added challenge of being a famed wizard: when Harry was a baby, Lord Voldemort, the most powerful Dark wizard in history, killed Harry's parents but mysteriously vanished after unsuccessfully trying to kill Harry, which left a lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead. This results in Harry's immediate fame and his being placed in the care of his abusive muggle, or non-magical, aunt and uncle, Aunt Petunia Dursley and Uncle Vernon Dursley, who have a son named Dudley Dursley.
Harry Potter
In 2000, shortly before the publication of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", the previous three "Harry Potter" books topped "The New York Times" fiction best-seller list and a third of the entries were children's books. The newspaper created a new children's section covering children's books, including both fiction and non-fiction, and initially counting only hardback sales. The move was supported by publishers and booksellers. In 2004, "The New York Times" further split the children's list, which was still dominated by "Harry Potter" books into sections for series and individual books, and removed the "Harry Potter" books from the section for individual books. The split in 2000 attracted condemnation, praise and some comments that presented both benefits and disadvantages of the move. "Time" suggested that, on the same principle, Billboard should have created a separate "mop-tops" list in 1964 when the Beatles held the top five places in its list, and Nielsen should have created a separate game-show list when "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" dominated the ratings.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
In January 2006, "The Goblet of Fire" surpassed the box office takings of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002) to become the eighth-highest-grossing film worldwide, and the second-highest-grossing film in the " Harry Potter" series, behind "The Philosopher's Stone". , it has been the sixth-highest-grossing "Harry Potter" film behind "The Philosopher's Stone", "The Order of the Phoenix" and "The Half-Blood Prince", "The Deathly Hallows – Part 1", and "The Deathly Hallows – Part 2".
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
Even though the book is the longest in the series (over 700 pages), the film is 138 minutes long (2 hours and 18 minutes), the second shortest in the entire film series.
J. K. Rowling
Its sequel, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", was published in July 1998 and again Rowling won the Smarties Prize. In December 1999, the third novel, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", won the Smarties Prize, making Rowling the first person to win the award three times running. She later withdrew the fourth "Harry Potter" novel from contention to allow other books a fair chance. In January 2000, "Prisoner of Azkaban" won the inaugural Whitbread Children's Book of the Year award, though it lost the Book of the Year prize to Seamus Heaney's translation of "Beowulf".
The Hardy Boys
The longest-running series of books to feature the Hardy Boys is the "Hardy Boys Mystery Stories", sometimes also called the "Hardy Boys Mysteries". The series ran from 1927 to 2005 and comprises 190 volumes, although some consider only the first 58 volumes of this series to be part of the Hardy Boys "canon." The Hardy Boys also appeared in 127 volumes of the "Casefiles" series and 39 volumes of the "Undercover Brothers" series, and are currently the heroes of the "Hardy Boys Adventures" series. The brothers were also featured in a few standalone books, such as "The Hardy Boys Ghost Stories", and some crossover titles where they teamed up with other characters such as Nancy Drew or Tom Swift.
Lord Voldemort
In the second instalment, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", Rowling introduces Tom Marvolo Riddle, a manifestation of a teenage Voldemort that resides inside a magical diary found by Ginny Weasley. In this book, Ginny is written as a shy girl with a crush on Harry. Feeling anxious and lonely, she begins to write into the diary and shares her deepest fears with the sympathetic Tom. However, at the climax of the story, when Riddle rearranges the letters in his name to write "I am Lord Voldemort", Riddle is revealed as a magical manifestation of the boy who would later grow up to become the Dark Lord. Riddle states he has grown strong on Ginny's fears and eventually possesses her, using her as a pawn to unlock the Chamber of Secrets, whence a basilisk is set free and petrifies several Hogwarts students. Harry defeats the manifestation of Riddle from the diary and the basilisk. In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", Albus Dumbledore reveals to Harry that the diary was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.
Harry Potter (film series)
The rights for the first four novels in the series were sold to Warner Bros. for £1,000,000 by J.K. Rowling. After the release of the fourth book in July 2000, the first film, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", was released on 16 November 2001. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $90 million in the United States alone, which set a record opening worldwide. The succeeding three motion picture adaptations followed suit in financial success, while garnering positive reviews from fans and critics. The fifth film, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", was released by Warner Bros. on 11 July 2007 in English-speaking countries, except for the UK and Ireland, which released the movie on 12 July. The sixth, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", was released on 15 July 2009 to critical acclaim and finished its theatrical run ranked as the number two grossing film of 2009 on the worldwide charts.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
In "The Philosopher's Stone", Harry re-enters the wizarding world at age 11 and enrolls in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He makes friends with fellow students Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and is mentored by the school's headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He also meets Professor Severus Snape, who intensely dislikes and bullies him. Harry fights Voldemort several times while at school, as the wizard tries to regain a physical form. In "Goblet of Fire", Harry is mysteriously entered in a dangerous magical competition called the Triwizard Tournament, which he discovers is a trap designed to allow the return of Lord Voldemort to full strength. During "Order of the Phoenix", Harry and several of his friends face off against Voldemort's Death Eaters, a group of Dark witches and wizards, and narrowly defeat them. In "Half-Blood Prince", Harry learns that Voldemort has divided his soul into several parts, creating "horcruxes" from various unknown objects to contain them; in this way he has ensured his immortality as long as at least one of the horcruxes still exists. Two of these had already been destroyed, one a diary destroyed by Harry in the events of "Chamber of Secrets" and one a ring destroyed by Dumbledore shortly before the events of "Half-Blood Prince". Dumbledore takes Harry along in the attempt to destroy a third horcrux contained in a locket. However, the horcrux had been taken by an unknown wizard, and upon their return Dumbledore is ambushed and disarmed by Draco Malfoy, who cannot bring himself to kill him. Dumbledore is subsequently killed by Snape, who finishes what Malfoy started.
J. K. Rowling
Born in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, Rowling was working as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International when she conceived the idea for the "Harry Potter" series while on a delayed train from Manchester to London in 1990. The seven-year period that followed saw the death of her mother, birth of her first child, divorce from her first husband and relative poverty until the first novel in the series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", was published in 1997. There were six sequels, of which the last, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", was released in 2007. Since then, Rowling has written five books for adult readers: "The Casual Vacancy" (2012) and—under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith—the crime fiction novels "The Cuckoo's Calling" (2013), "The Silkworm" (2014), "Career of Evil" (2015), and "Lethal White" (2018).
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Rowling completed the book while staying at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh in January 2007, and left a signed statement on a marble bust of Hermes in her room which read: "J. K. Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (552) on 11 January 2007". In a statement on her website, she said, "I've never felt such a mixture of extreme emotions in my life, never dreamed I could feel simultaneously heartbroken and euphoric." She compared her mixed feelings to those expressed by Charles Dickens in the preface of the 1850 edition of "David Copperfield", "a two-years' imaginative task". "To which," she added, "I can only sigh, try seventeen years, Charles". She ended her message by saying ""Deathly Hallows" is my favourite, and that is the most wonderful way to finish the series".
J. K. Rowling
In October 2015, Rowling announced via "Pottermore" that a two-part play she had co-authored with playwrights Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", was the "eighth "Harry Potter" story" and that it would focus on the life of Harry Potter's youngest son Albus after the epilogue of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". On 28 October 2015, the first round of tickets went on sale and sold out in several hours.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
After the publishing of "Order of the Phoenix", the sixth book of the series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", was published on 16 July 2005, and sold 9 million copies in the first 24 hours of its worldwide release. The seventh and final novel, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", was published 21 July 2007. The book sold 11 million copies within 24 hours of its release: 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US.
Harry Potter
The series can be considered part of the British children's boarding school genre, which includes Rudyard Kipling's Stalky & Co., Enid Blyton's "Malory Towers", "St. Clare's" and the "Naughtiest Girl" series, and Frank Richards's "Billy Bunter" novels: the "Harry Potter" books are predominantly set in Hogwarts, a fictional British boarding school for wizards, where the curriculum includes the use of magic. In this sense they are "in a direct line of descent from Thomas Hughes's "Tom Brown's School Days" and other Victorian and Edwardian novels of British public school life", though they are, as many note, more contemporary, grittier, darker, and more mature than the typical boarding school novel, addressing serious themes of death, love, loss, prejudice, coming-of-age, and the loss of innocence in a 1990s British setting.
Harry Potter (film series)
Harry Potter is a British-American film series based on the "Harry Potter" novels by author J. K. Rowling. The series is distributed by Warner Bros. and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (2001) and culminating with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2" (2011). A spin-off prequel series that will consist of five films started with "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (2016), marking the beginning of the Wizarding World shared media franchise.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
In August 1999, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" topped the "New York Times" list of best-selling fiction, and stayed near the top of the list for much of 1999 and 2000, until the "New York Times" split its list into children's and adult sections under pressure from other publishers who were eager to see their books given higher placings. "Publishers Weekly"'s report in December 2001 on cumulative sales of children's fiction placed "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" 19th among hardbacks (over 5 million copies) and 7th among paperbacks (over 6.6 million copies).
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Sales for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" were record setting. The initial US print run for "Deathly Hallows" was 12 million copies, and more than a million were pre-ordered through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, 500 percent higher than pre-sales had been for "Half-Blood Prince". On 12 April 2007, Barnes & Noble declared that "Deathly Hallows" had broken its pre-order record, with more than 500,000 copies pre-ordered through its site. On opening day, a record 8.3 million copies were sold in the United States (over 96 per second), and 2.65 million copies in the United Kingdom. It holds the Guinness World record for fastest selling book of fiction in 24 hours for US sales. At WH Smith, sales reportedly reached a rate of 15 books sold per second. By June 2008, nearly a year after it was published, worldwide sales were reportedly around 44 million.
James Potter (series)
The "James Potter" series is an unofficial sequel-series of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter universe, written by G. Norman Lippert. The novel series centers around the character of James Sirius Potter, Harry Potter's son, a character who makes a fleeting appearance in the novel "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". The series starts with his first year at Hogwarts, set one year before the end of the Harry Potter series.
Harry Potter prequel
An 800-word, untitled short story, unofficially known as the Harry Potter prequel, was written by J. K. Rowling in 2008 as part of a charity auction event, for which it fetched £25,000. The story recounts an encounter with Muggle police experienced by Sirius Black and James Potter, taking place before the events of the "Harry Potter" series. The manuscript was stolen in 2017.
Harry Potter
In 2002, British sociologist Andrew Blake named "Harry Potter" among the icons of British popular culture along with the likes of James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. In 2003, four of the books were named in the top 24 of the BBC's The Big Read survey of the best loved novels in the UK. A 2004 study found that books in the series were commonly read aloud in elementary schools in San Diego County, California. Based on a 2007 online poll, the U.S. National Education Association listed the series in its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". Three of the books placed among the "Top 100 Chapter Books" of all time, or children's novels, in a 2012 survey published by "School Library Journal": "Sorcerer's Stone" ranked number three, "Prisoner of Azkaban" 12th, and "Goblet of Fire" 98th. In 2012, the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London featured a 100-foot tall rendition of Lord Voldemort in a segment designed to show off the UK's cultural icons.
The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter
The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter: A Treasury of Myths, Legends, and Fascinating Facts is a guide to the fictional "Harry Potter" universe, written by David Colbert. It explores the references to history, legends, and literature in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels. Colbert conceived the idea for "The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter" while quizzing his nephew and nieces about the mythological references in the novels. He later wrote the book while teaching a seminar on self-publishing to graduate students at the University of North Carolina. The book was published in March 2001, without approval from Rowling, and has since received positive reviews from critics. An updated version of "The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter" was published in 2004 by Berkley Books.
Harry Potter influences and analogues
Fans of the comic book series "The Books of Magic", by Neil Gaiman (first published in 1990 by DC Comics) have cited similarities to the Harry Potter story. These include a dark-haired English boy with glasses, named Timothy Hunter, who discovers his potential as the most powerful wizard of the age upon being approached by magic-wielding individuals, the first of whom makes him a gift of a pet owl. Similarities led the British tabloid paper the "Daily Mirror" to claim Gaiman had made accusations of plagiarism against Rowling, which he went on the record denying, saying the similarities were either coincidence, or drawn from the same fantasy archetypes. "I thought we were both just stealing from T.H. White", he said in an interview, "very straightforward." Dylan Horrocks, writer of the "Books of Magic" spin-off "", has said they should be considered as similar works in the same genre and that both have parallels with earlier schoolboy wizards, like the "2000 AD" character Luke Kirby.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series
In 2007, Scholastic Corporation threatened legal action against two booksellers, Levy Home Entertainment and DeepDiscount.com, for selling copies of the final novel, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", before its release date of 21 July. In an official statement, Scholastic appealed "to the "Harry Potter" fans who bought their books from DeepDiscount.com and may receive copies early requesting that they keep the packages hidden until midnight on 21 July." Customers who agreed not to read the book received a special "Harry Potter" t-shirt and a $50 coupon for Scholastic's online store.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Universal Orlando Resort)
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has four rides. Three rides opened in 2010 as part of phase one, while additional two rides opened with phase two in 2014. Dragon Challenge, one of the rides from the first phase, was closed permanently in 2017.
Dragon Challenge was a roller coaster featuring two distinct tracks built to overlap and intertwine with each other. The ride was formerly in operation since the park's 1999 opening under the name Dueling Dragons. The physical coaster is exactly the same, with some new decor. The ride was renamed in homage to the first task of the Triwizard Tournament where Harry and the other contestants are each to duel with a dragon, depicted in chapter 20 of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". The two sides of the coaster have been renamed "Hungarian Horntail" and "Chinese Fireball", after two of the dragon breeds which appear in the book. It was the only chasing inverted roller coaster in the world. The queue for this ride features many Harry Potter relics, including the Goblet of Fire and the Triwizard Cup. In addition, the hike to the ride features the flying car featured in the second film, as well as Hagrid's hut. Dragon Challenge closed on September 4, 2017, to make way for a new ride based on the "Harry Potter" franchise that is scheduled to open in 2019.
"Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" is a dark ride inside the replica of Hogwarts Castle, simulating a tour of the castle and its surrounding grounds. Visitors initially walk through the castle, interacting with various characters and props from the "Potter" series, including a speech from Dumbledore, and directions from Harry, Hermione and Ron, before boarding a "magical bench" (controlled with a KUKA robotic arm system). Throughout the ride, guests are taken around the outside of the castle, using a combination of simulated flight as well as encountering realistic animatronic versions of the Whomping Willow, a horde of dementors, giant spiders, the Hungarian Horntail Dragon, and a Quidditch match.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series
In June 2005, Aaron Lambert, a security guard at a book distribution centre in Corby, Northamptonshire, England, stole a number of pages from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" six weeks before its intended publication date. He was arrested a day later after negotiations to sell them to John Askill, a journalist from "The Sun", turned violent. Lambert reportedly fired a shot from his imitation Walther PPK pistol, but Askill was unharmed. At his trial the following October, Lambert pleaded guilty to threatening Askill and to attempting to blackmail "Harry Potter"'s publishers, Bloomsbury. In January 2006, Lambert was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. In November 2011, in her testimony before the Leveson Inquiry, Rowling said that the "Sun" had attempted to "blackmail" her into a photo-op in return for returning the stolen manuscript.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
Running 153 minutes (2 hours 33 minutes and 19 seconds) long, "Half-Blood Prince" is the third-longest film in the series, behind "Chamber of Secrets" (161 minutes) and "Goblet of Fire" (157 minutes).
Mahabharata
The "Mahābhārata" is the longest epic poem known and has been described as "the longest poem ever written". Its longest version consists of over 100,000 "śloka" or over 200,000 individual verse lines (each shloka is a couplet), and long prose passages. At about 1.8 million words in total, the "Mahābhārata" is roughly ten times the length of the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" combined, or about four times the length of the "Rāmāyaṇa". W. J. Johnson has compared the importance of the "Mahābhārata" in the context of world civilization to that of the Bible, the works of William Shakespeare, the works of Homer, Greek drama, or the Quran. Within the Indian tradition it is sometimes called the Fifth Veda.
Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort (, in the films; born Tom Marvolo Riddle) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in J. K. Rowling's series of "Harry Potter" novels. Voldemort first appeared in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", which was released in 1997. Voldemort appears either in person or in flashbacks in each book and its film adaptation in the series, except the third, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", where he is only mentioned.
John Williams
In the new millennium, Williams was asked to score the film adaptations of J. K. Rowling's widely successful book series, "Harry Potter". He went on to score the film franchise's first three installments. As with his "Superman" theme, the most important theme from Williams's scores for the "Harry Potter" films, dubbed "Hedwig's Theme", has been used in the fourth through eighth films ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2"), scored by Patrick Doyle ("Goblet of Fire"), Nicholas Hooper ("Order of the Phoenix" and "Half-Blood Prince") and Alexandre Desplat ("Deathly Hallows"). Like the main themes from "Jaws", "Star Wars", "Superman", and "Indiana Jones", fans have come to identify the "Harry Potter" films with Williams's original compositions. Williams was asked to return to score the film franchise's final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2", but director David Yates stated that "their schedules simply did not align" as he would have had to provide Williams with a rough cut of the film sooner than was possible.
Harry Potter influences and analogues
In 1991, the author Jane Yolen released a book called "Wizard's Hall", to which the Harry Potter series bears a resemblance. The main protagonist, Henry (also called Thornmallow), is a young boy who joins a magical school for young wizards. At the school "he must fulfill an ancient prophecy and help overthrow a powerful, evil wizard." However, Yolen has stated that "I'm pretty sure she never read my book," attributing similarities to commonly-used fantasy tropes. In an interview with the magazine "Newsweek", Yolen said, "I always tell people that if Ms. Rowling would like to cut me a very large check, I would cash it." Yolen stopped reading "Harry Potter" after the third book, and has expressed dislike for the writing style of "Harry Potter", calling it "fantasy fast food".
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the seventh and final novel of the "Harry Potter" series. The book was released on 21 July 2007, ending the series that began in 1997 with the publication of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". It was published in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publishing, in the United States by Scholastic, and in Canada by Raincoast Books. The novel chronicles the events directly following "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2005) and the final confrontation between the wizards Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" has received mostly positive reviews. In "The New York Times" Book Review, author Stephen King stated the "Goblet of Fire" was "every bit as good as Potters 1 through 3" and praised the humour and subplots, although he commented that "there's also a moderately tiresome amount of adolescent squabbling...it's a teenage thing". "Kirkus Reviews" called it "another grand tale of magic and mystery...and clicking along so smoothly that it seems shorter than it is". However, they commented that it did tend to lag, especially at the end where two "bad guys" stopped the action to give extended explanations, and that the issues to be resolved in sequels would leave "many readers, particularly American ones, uncomfortable". For "The Horn Book Magazine", Martha V. Parravano gave a mixed review, saying "some will find [it] wide-ranging, compellingly written, and absorbing; others, long, rambling, and tortuously fraught with adverbs". A "Publishers Weekly" review praised the book's "red herrings, the artful clues and tricky surprises that disarm the most attentive audience" and saying it "might be her most thrilling yet." Writing for "The New Yorker", Joan Acocella noted that "where the prior volumes moved like lightning, here the pace is slower, the energy more dispersed. At the same time, the tone becomes more grim."
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Until the official title's announcement on 27 June 2000, the book was called by its working title, 'Harry Potter IV.' Previously, in April, the publisher had listed it as "Harry Potter and the Doomspell Tournament". However, J. K. Rowling expressed her indecision about the title in an "Entertainment Weekly" interview.
"I changed my mind twice on what [the title] was. The working title had got out — "Harry Potter and the Doomspell Tournament". Then I changed "Doomspell" to "Triwizard Tournament". Then I was teetering between "Goblet of Fire" and "Triwizard Tournament". In the end, I preferred "Goblet of Fire" because it's got that kind of "cup of destiny" feel about it, which is the theme of the book."
Harry Potter influences and analogues
Susan Cooper's "Dark Is Rising" sequence (which commenced with "Over Sea, Under Stone" in 1965 and now more commonly bound in a single volume) have been compared to the "Harry Potter" series. The second novel, also called "The Dark Is Rising", features a young boy named Will Stanton who discovers on his eleventh birthday that he is in fact imbued with magical power; in Will's case, that he is the last of the Old Ones, beings empowered by the Light to battle the Dark. The books open in much the same way, with Will finding that people are telling him strange things and that animals run from him. John Hodge, who wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation, entitled "The Seeker", made substantial changes to the novel's plot and tone to differentiate it from "Harry Potter".
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
Warner Bros. first released the film on VHS and DVD on 11 February 2002 in the E3 UK 11 May 2002 in the UK and 28 May 2002 in the US. The VHS and DVD (The Special Edition) was re-released in 7 May 2004 An Ultimate Edition was later released exclusively in the US that included a Blu-ray and DVD. The release contains an extended version of the film, with many of the deleted scenes edited back in; additionally, the set includes the existing special features disc, Radcliffe's, Grint's, and Watson's first screen tests, a feature-length special "Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 1: The Magic Begins", and a 48-page hardcover booklet. The extended version has a running time of about 159 minutes, which has previously been shown during certain television airings. Between May and June 2002, the film sold 10million copies, almost 60% of which were DVD sales.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
On 26 June 2015, the project was officially confirmed under the title of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", and it was revealed it would receive its world premiere in mid-2016 at London's Palace Theatre. The announcement marked the eighteenth anniversary of the publication of the first "Harry Potter" novel, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", published on 26 June 1997.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The book was published in the United Kingdom on 8 July 1999 by Bloomsbury and in the United States on 8 September 1999 by Scholastic Inc. Rowling found the book easy to write, finishing it just a year after she had begun writing it. The book sold 68,000 copies in just three days after its release in the United Kingdom and since has sold over three million in the country. The book won the 1999 Whitbread Children's Book Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the 2000 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, and was short-listed for other awards, including the Hugo.
Magic in Harry Potter
Before publishing the first "Harry Potter" novel, Rowling spent five years establishing the limitations of magic—determining what it could and could not do. "The most important thing to decide when you're creating a fantasy world," she said in 2000, "is what the characters "can't" do." For instance, while it is possible to conjure things out of thin air, it is far more tricky to create something that fits an exact specification rather than a general one; moreover, any objects so conjured tend not to last.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
In 1997 the UK edition won a National Book Award and a gold medal in the 9- to 11-year-olds category of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. The "Smarties" award, which is voted for by children, made the book well known within six months of publication, while most children's books have to wait for years. The following year, "Philosopher's Stone" won almost all the other major British awards that were decided by children. It was also shortlisted for children's books awards adjudicated by adults, but did not win. Sandra Beckett commented that books which were popular with children were regarded as undemanding and as not of the highest literary standards – for example the literary establishment disdained the works of Dahl, an overwhelming favourite of children before the appearance of Rowling's books. In 2003, the novel was listed at number 22 on the BBC's survey The Big Read.
Jim Dale
In the United States, Jim Dale is known as the "voice" of Harry Potter. He has recorded all seven books in the "Harry Potter" series as audiobooks, and as a narrator he has won two Grammy Awards (in 2001 and 2008) and received seven Grammy nominations and a record ten Audie Awards including "Audio Book of the Year 2004" for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", "Best Children's Narrator 2001/2005/2007/2008," "Best Children's Audio Book 2005," two Benjamin Franklin Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association (one of these was in 2001 for "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban") and 23 Audio File Earphone Awards.
List of best-selling books
Having sold more than 500 million copies worldwide, "Harry Potter" by J. K. Rowling is the best-selling book series in history. The first novel in the series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", has sold in excess of 120 million copies, making it one of the best-selling books of all time. As of June 2017, the series has been translated into 80 languages, placing Harry Potter among history's most translated literary works. The last four books in the series consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books of all time, where the final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", sold roughly fifteen million copies worldwide within twenty-four hours of its release. With twelve million books printed in the first U.S. run, it also holds the record for the highest initial print run for any book in history.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" has won several awards. In 2007, the book was named one of "The New York Times" 100 Notable Books, and one of its Notable Children's Books. The novel was named the best book of 2007, by "Newsweek" critic Malcolm Jones. "Publishers Weekly" also listed "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" among their Best Books of 2007. In 2008, the American Library Association named the novel one of its Best Books for Young Adults, and also listed it as a Notable Children's Book. Furthermore, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" received the 2008 Colorado Blue Spruce Book Award.
Outline of Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling.
Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series
On 31 October 2007, Warner Bros. and Rowling sued Michigan-based publishing firm RDR Books to block the publication of a 400-page book version of the Harry Potter Lexicon, an online reference guide to her work. Rowling, who previously had a good relationship with Lexicon owner Steve Vander Ark, reiterated on her website that she plans to write a "Harry Potter" encyclopedia, and that the publication of a similar book before her own would hurt the proceeds of the official encyclopedia, which she plans to give to charity. A judge later barred publication of the book in any form until the case was resolved. In their suit, Rowling's lawyers also asserted that, as the book describes itself as a print facsimile of the Harry Potter Lexicon website, it would publish excerpts from the novels and stills from the films without offering sufficient "transformative" material to be considered a separate work. The trial concluded on 17 April 2008. On 8 September 2008, the judge ruled in her favour, claiming that the book would violate the terms of fair use. In December, 2008, a modified (and shorter) version of Vander Ark's Lexicon was approved for publication and was released 16 January 2009 as "The Lexicon: An Unauthorized Guide to Harry Potter Fiction".
Harry Potter
Michael Rosen, a novelist and poet, advocated the books were not suited for children, who would be unable to grasp the complex themes. Rosen also stated that "J. K. Rowling is more of an adult writer." The critic Anthony Holden wrote in "The Observer" on his experience of judging "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" for the 1999 Whitbread Awards. His overall view of the series was negative – "the Potter saga was essentially patronising, conservative, highly derivative, dispiritingly nostalgic for a bygone Britain", and he speaks of "a pedestrian, ungrammatical prose style". Ursula K. Le Guin said, "I have no great opinion of it. When so many adult critics were carrying on about the 'incredible originality' of the first Harry Potter book, I read it to find out what the fuss was about, and remained somewhat puzzled; it seemed a lively kid's fantasy crossed with a "school novel", good fare for its age group, but stylistically ordinary, imaginatively derivative, and ethically rather mean-spirited."
Harry Potter
In the sixth book, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", Voldemort begins waging open warfare. Harry and his friends are relatively protected from that danger at Hogwarts. They are subject to all the difficulties of adolescence – Harry eventually begins dating Ginny, Ron establishes a strong infatuation with fellow Hogwarts student Lavender Brown, and Hermione starts to develop romantic feelings towards Ron. Near the beginning of the novel, lacking his own book, Harry is given an old potions textbook filled with many annotations and recommendations signed by a mysterious writer titled; "the Half-Blood Prince." This book is a source of scholastic success and great recognition from their new potions master, Horace Slughorn, but because of the potency of the spells that are written in it, becomes a source of concern. With war drawing near, Harry takes private lessons with Dumbledore, who shows him various memories concerning the early life of Voldemort in a device called a Pensieve. These reveal that in order to preserve his life, Voldemort has split his soul into pieces, creating a series of Horcruxes – evil enchanted items hidden in various locations, one of which was the diary destroyed in the second book. On their way to collect a Horcrux, Draco, who has joined with the Death Eaters, attempts to attack Dumbledore, and the book culminates in the killing of Dumbledore by Professor Snape, the titular Half-Blood Prince.
The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter
Following the success of "The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter", Colbert released the book "The Magical Worlds of The Lord of the Rings: The Amazing Myths, Legends and Facts Behind the Masterpiece"—a guide to J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" novels—in late 2002. An updated version of "The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter" was published in 2004 by Berkley Books, just before the film "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was released. Colbert wrote and published "The Magical Worlds of Narnia" in 2005, a guide to the fictional Narnia universe.
Harry Potter (character)
According to Rowling, the idea for both the Harry Potter books and its eponymous character came while waiting for a delayed train from Manchester, England to London in 1990. She stated that the idea of "this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me". While developing the ideas for her book, she also decided to make Harry an orphan who attended a boarding school called Hogwarts. She explained in a 1999 interview with "The Guardian": "Harry had to be an orphan—so that he's a free agent, with no fear of letting down his parents, disappointing them ... Hogwarts has to be a boarding school—half the important stuff happens at night! Then there's the security. Having a child of my own reinforces my belief that children above all want security, and that's what Hogwarts offers Harry."
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize 1998 Gold Medal in the 9–11 years division. Rowling also won two other Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes for "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". The Scottish Arts Council awarded their first ever Children’s Book Award to the novel in 1999, and it was also awarded Whitaker's Platinum Book Award in 2001. In 2003, the novel was listed at number 23 on the BBC's survey The Big Read.
Quidditch Through the Ages
In 2001, Rowling penned two companion books to the "Harry Potter series", "Quidditch Through the Ages" and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", for British charity and offshoot of Live Aid, Comic Relief with all of her royalties going to the charity. As of July 2008, the books combined are estimated to have earned over $30 million for Comic Relief. The two books have since been made available in hardcover.Within the fictional world of "Harry Potter", "Quidditch Through the Ages" is written by Kennilworthy Whisp, a renowned Quidditch expert.
David Langford
Excluding collections, Langford's most recent professionally published book is "The End of Harry Potter?" (2006), an unauthorised companion to the famous series by J.K. Rowling. The work was published after the publication of the sixth volume in the Harry Potter series, but before publication of the seventh and final volume. It contains information, extracted from the books and from Rowling's many public statements, about the wizarding world and popular theories concerning how the plot will develop in the last book. A revised version was published in the US in March 2007 by Tor books, and in paperback form in the UK in May 2007. The book was commissioned from Langford by Malcolm Edwards of Orion Books, who were seeking a book about the Harry Potter series.
John Granger
Granger first became interested in Harry Potter when his daughter was given a copy of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". He read the book with the intention of pointing out to his daughter what was wrong with it but instead was impressed by the Christian imagery, classical references, and 'acerbic criticism of muggledom'. Granger's interest grew through discussion with friends in the Port Townsend C. S. Lewis Society. He gave lectures on the subject at the Society and the town's Carnegie Library which lectures were eventually collected into a book, 'Hidden Key to Harry Potter' (Zossima Press, 2002). That book was re-written and re-titled first 'Looking for God in Harry Potter' (Tyndale, 2004, 2006) and now 'How Harry Cast His Spell' (Tyndale, 2008).
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the "Harry Potter" series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage on his eleventh birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry makes close friends and a few enemies during his first year at the school, and with the help of his friends, Harry faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old.
Harry Potter
The third novel, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", follows Harry in his third year of magical education. It is the only book in the series which does not feature Lord Voldemort in any form. Instead, Harry must deal with the knowledge that he has been targeted by Sirius Black, his father's best friend, and, according to the Wizarding World, an escaped mass murderer who assisted in the murder of Harry's parents. As Harry struggles with his reaction to the dementors – dark creatures with the power to devour a human soul and feed on despair – which are ostensibly protecting the school, he reaches out to Remus Lupin, a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who is eventually revealed to be a werewolf. Lupin teaches Harry defensive measures which are well above the level of magic generally executed by people his age. Harry comes to know that both Lupin and Black were best friends of his father and that Black was framed by their fourth friend, Peter Pettigrew, who had been hiding as Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. In this book, a recurring theme throughout the series is emphasised – in every book there is a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, none of whom lasts more than one school year.
Harry Potter (film series)
Harry Potter is an orphaned boy brought up by his unkind Muggle (non-magical) aunt and uncle. At the age of eleven, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid informs him that he is actually a wizard and that his parents were murdered by an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort. Voldemort also attempted to kill one-year-old Harry on the same night, but his killing curse mysteriously rebounded and reduced him to a weak and helpless form. Harry became extremely famous in the Wizarding World as a result. Harry begins his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and learns about magic. During the year, Harry and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger become entangled in the mystery of the Philosopher's Stone which is being kept within the school.
Young adult fiction
The first novel in J.K. Rowling's seven-book "Harry Potter" series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", was published in 1997. The series was praised for its complexity and maturity, and attracted a wide adult audience. While not technically YA, its success led many to see Harry Potter and its author, J.K. Rowling, as responsible for a resurgence of young adult literature, and re-established the pre-eminent role of speculative fiction in the field, a trend further solidified by "The Hunger Games" trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The end of the decade saw a number of awards appear such as the Michael L. Printz Award and Alex Awards, designed to recognize excellence in writing for young adult audiences.
Flesch–Kincaid readability tests
Leah Borovoi from the Infinity Labs has calculated the Flesch score for the seven Harry Potter books that were located at the Glozman Website. The average Flesch score for Harry Potter was 72.83, with the highest score (81.32) for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and the lowest score (65.88) for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Harry Potter in translation
Other fake Harry Potter books written in Chinese include "Harry Potter and the Porcelain Doll" (哈利・波特与瓷娃娃 or Hālì Bōtè yǔ Cíwáwa), "Harry Potter and the Golden Turtle", and "Harry Potter and the Crystal Vase". In August 2007, "The New York Times" noted that the publication of Rowling's "Deathly Hallows" had inspired "a surge of peculiarly Chinese imitations," and included plot synopses and excerpts from a number of derivative works, among them "Harry Potter and the Chinese Overseas Students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" and "Harry Potter and the Big Funnel".
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" won two publishing industry awards given for sales rather than literary merit, the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year and the Booksellers' Association / "Bookseller" Author of the Year. By March 1999 UK editions had sold just over 300,000 copies, and the story was still the UK's best-selling title in December 2001. A Braille edition was published in May 1998 by the Scottish Braille Press.
A Very Potter Musical
A Very Potter Musical (originally titled Harry Potter: The Musical and often shortened to AVPM) is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A. J. Holmes and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang and Brian Holden. The story is a parody, based on several of the "Harry Potter" novels by J. K. Rowling (particularly "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"), as well as their film adaptations.
Harry Potter
The book culminates in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron and Hermione, in conjunction with members of the Order of the Phoenix and many of the teachers and students, defend Hogwarts from Voldemort, his Death Eaters, and various dangerous magical creatures. Several major characters are killed in the first wave of the battle, including Remus Lupin and Fred Weasley, Ron's older brother. After learning that he himself is a Horcrux, Harry surrenders himself to Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest, who casts a killing curse (Avada Kedavra) at him. The defenders of Hogwarts do not surrender after learning of Harry's presumed death and continue to fight on. Harry awakens and faces Voldemort, whose Horcruxes have all been destroyed. In the final battle, Voldemort's killing curse rebounds off Harry's defensive spell (Expelliarmus), killing Voldemort.