Harry Potter Toys and Guide Info

Harry Potter (source:wikipedia)

This article is about the fantasy series. For the character himself, see Harry Potter (character). For related topics, see List of Harry Potter related topics. For other uses, see Harry Potter (disambiguation).

Harry Potter
A set of stamps commissioned by Royal Mail, featuring the British children's covers of the seven books
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 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Author	J. K. Rowling
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy, thriller, bildungsroman, Young-adult fiction
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Scholastic Publishing (USA)
Published	26 June 1997 – 21 July 2007
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback) Audiobook

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the eponymous adolescent wizard Harry Potter, together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The central story arc concerns Harry's struggle against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents in his quest to conquer the wizarding world and subjugate non-magical (Muggle) people to his rule. Several successful derivative films, video games and other themed merchandise have been based upon the series.

Since the 1997 release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide.^[1] As of June 2008, the book series has sold more than 400 million copies and has been translated into 67 languages,^[2][3] and the last four books have consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.

English-language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic Press in the United States, Allen & Unwin in Australia, and Raincoast Books in Canada. Thus far, the first five books have been made into a series of motion pictures by Warner Bros. The sixth, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is scheduled for release on 17 July 2009. The series also originated much tie-in merchandise, making the Harry Potter brand worth £7 billion (US$15 billion)