Harry Potter

The Harry Potter books are an extremely popular series of fantasy novels by British writer J. K. Rowling. The books depict a world of witches and wizards, the protagonist being the eponymous young wizard Harry Potter. Since the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States) in 1997, the books have gained immense popularity and commercial success worldwide, spawning films, video games, and a wealth of other items. The six books have collectively sold more than 350 million copies[1][2] and been translated into 47 languages.[3] The first volume has been translated into Latin and even ancient Greek, [4] making it the longest work written in that language since the novels of Heliodorus of Emesa in the third century AD. [5]

Most of the narrative takes place in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, focusing on Harry Potter's struggle against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. At the same time, the books explore the themes of friendship, ambition, choice, prejudice, courage, growing up, love, and the perplexities of death, set against the expansive backdrop of a magical world with its own complex history, diverse inhabitants, unique culture, and parallel society.

Six of the seven planned books have been published, and the unnamed seventh book is yet to be released. The latest, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was issued in its English language version on 16 July 2005. The first four books have been made into very successful films, and the fifth began filming in February 2006. English language versions of the books are published by Bloomsbury, Scholastic Press, and Raincoast Books.