Harry Potter

Harry Potter

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

The Harry Potter logo was first used for the American edition of the novel series (and some other editions worldwide), and then the film series :

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

 
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of a wizard, Harry Potter, and his friendsRonald Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's quest to overcome the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose aims are to become immortal, conquer thewizarding world, subjugate non-magical people, and destroy all those who stand in his way, especially Harry Potter.

Since the release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on 30 June 1997, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide. The series has also had some share of criticism, including concern for the increasingly dark tone. As of June 2011, the book series has sold about 450 million copies, making it the best-selling book series in history, and has beentranslated into 67 languages. The last four books consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.

A series of many genres, including fantasy and coming of age (with elements ofmystery, thriller, adventure, and romance), it has many cultural meanings and references.According to Rowling, the main theme is death. There are also many other themes in the series, such as prejudice and corruption.

The initial major publishers of the books were Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom andScholastic Press in the United States. The books have since been published by many publishers worldwide. The books, with the seventh book split into two parts, have been made into an eight-part film series by Warner Bros. Pictures, the highest-grossing film series of all time. The series also originated much tie-in merchandise, making the Harry Potter brand worth in excess of $15 billion. Also due to the success of the books and films, Harry Potter has been used for a theme park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Parks & Resorts's Islands of Adventure.