Harry Photo 2

Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels by English author J. K. Rowling about a boy named 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 assorted merchandise. The six books published to date have collectively sold more than 325 million copies and have been translated into more than 63 languages. The seventh and last book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is scheduled to be released on 21 July 2007. Publishers announced a record-breaking 12 million copies for the first print run in the US alone. The story is mostly set in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, under the leadership of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, and focuses on Harry Potter's fight against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who uses the Dark Arts to kill Harry's parents and attempts to take over the wizarding world.Due to the success of the novels, Rowling has become the richest writer in literary 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.The first four books have been made into very successful motion pictures by Warner Bros.. The fifth, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, began filming in February 2006, and is scheduled for release on 13 July 2007.