But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.įull of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.more There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.Īfter a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft Harry Potter's life is miserable. (who have the film rights to the series) sue her, wanting a judge to rule that there was no violation of Stouffer's copyright or trademark.Harry Potter's life is miserable.
In Stouffer's book, muggles are little people who care for orphans the book also includes a character named Larry Potter. Nancy Stouffer, author of the 1984 book The Legend of Rah and the Muggles, has been publicly claiming that Rowling stole ideas from her. The Harry Potter books hold the top three positions on the New York Times bestseller list. The third book is published in the United States, again ahead of schedule, with a first printing of 500,000 copies. It sells more than 68,000 copies in the first two days. The third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, is published in the United Kingdom. It shoots to the top of bestseller lists. At 341 pages, this is only slightly longer than the 309-page first book. release had been scheduled for September, but Scholastic discovered that impatient fans of the first book were ordering copies of the sequel from the U.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is published in the United States, with an initial printing of 250,000 copies. The changes go beyond the title: illustrations are added to the start of each chapter, and British spelling, punctuation, grammar, and vocabulary are translated into American English. Scholastic publishes the first book, renamed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, in the United States. The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is published in the United Kingdom, with a first print run of over 10,000 copies. The book is an instant success, selling well and winning several awards. Joanne adds her grandmother's name, Kathleen, to her own, producing "J.K. Because Bloomsbury is afraid that young boys won't want to read a book by a woman, they suggest she use her initials. The first book in the series? Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone?is published in the United Kingdom. She is able to quit her teaching job and devote her time to writing.
rights to the series, giving Rowling an advance over $100,000, a record for a foreign children's book. Scholastic Books wins an auction for the U.S. October:īritish publisher Bloomsbury Press accepts the book, giving Rowling a $4,000 advance.
Several publishers reject the book, finding it to be too long and slow for children. Her literary agent warns her "You do realize, you will never make a fortune out of writing children's books?" Writing whenever she can, often in cafs, Rowling finishes her first book: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. She takes along her daughter and her ever-growing book manuscript. Now separated from her husband (they divorce in 1995), Rowling moves near her younger sister, Di, in Edinburgh, Scotland.