There are a total of seven Harry Potter books. The hugely popular series starts with Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone, which was first published on 26 June 1997, and ends with Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, which was published on 21 July 2007.
The fantasy series, which focuses on the adventures of a young wizard named Harry, was penned by British author J.K. Rowling. It has gone on to become one of the bestselling books in history. It has sold half a billion copies and has been translated into 80 languages. It has also generated about $7 billion in sales and also spurned one of the highest-grossing movie franchises in history.
How Many Harry Potter Books Are There?
There are actually only seven main Harry Potter books. They chronicle Harry’s growth as a child wizard, his training at the Hogwarts School, and the battles against different enemies, including his ultimate antagonist, Lord Voldemort, who wants to gain immortality and subjugate both wizards and ordinary human beings.
Given the extensive world of magic, wizards, and mythical creatures that the Harry Potter universe encompasses, one would be tempted to conclude that the books must be numerous in number, but this is not so.
Asides from the seven Harry Potter books, there is also a play penned by J. K. Rowling titled Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Rowling penned the play in conjunction with other authors such as Jack Thorne and John Tiffany.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a sequel to the Harry Potter series and continues from where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the last Harry Potter book) stopped.
It follows the adventures of Harry Potter’s youngest son, Albus, at Hogwarts.
When Did the Harry Potter Books Come Out?
The seven Harry Potter books were published between June 1997 and July 2007, a decade-long period. The first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone was published on 26 June 1997, while the second Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published on 2 July 1998, about a year later.
The third Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban came out on the 8 July 1999, while the fourth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, hit the bookshelves exactly a year later on the 8th of July 2000. Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, the fifth Harry Potter book, took some time to come out but eventually did on 21 June 2003.
The sixth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was published on 16 July 2005. The last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was first published on the 21st of July 2007. The Harry Potter books have been reissued over the years, but the above capture the original date that each Harry Potter book came out.
Chronological Order of Harry Potter Books
The Harry Potter books were written and published in chronological order. This means that the first book captures the origins of Harry Potter and his eventual departure for training at Hogwarts.
Harry’s adventures, together with that of his two best friends and schoolmates, Ron and Hermione, continue with the second book up until the seventh book when Harry Potter finally defeats lord Voldemort. Without much further ado, the chronological order of Harry Potter books is listed below
- Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone (published 26 June 1997/223 pages)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (published 2 July 1998/251 pages)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (published 8 July 1999/317 pages)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (published 8 July 2000/ 636 pages)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (published 21 June 2003/ 766 pages)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (published 16 July 2005/ 607 pages)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (published 21 July 2007/ 607 pages)
What is the First Harry Potter Book?
The first Harry Potter book is Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone, which was published on the 26th of June 1997. It captures the background story of Harry as an orphaned boy who grows up with his uncle and aunt.
Harry later discovers that he has magical powers and is enrolled at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to better master his natural talent. There, he makes friends with Ron and Hermoine. He also discovers Lord Voldemort, the evil villain that killed his parents.
The first Harry Potter book was published as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the U.S. It was released in the US on 1st September 1998. The first Harry Potter book has sold 120 million copies and has been translated into 73 languages, making it one of the bestselling novels ever.
How Many Books are in Harry Potter Books Set?
It is possible to find Harry Potter book sets that are just four or three in number, but this is obviously incomplete. A complete Harry Potter books set will have all seven Harry Potter books in it, as shown below.
1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)
- Genre: Fantasy
- Paperback volume: 223
- Original publishing date: 26 June 1997
- Publisher: Bloomsbury (U.K.) Scholastic Inc. (U.S.)
- ISBN: 9780747532699
- Series highlight: Harry Potter goes off to magic school, aka Hogwarts
- Awards: Children’s Book of the Year at the 1998 British Book Awards.
The first Harry Potter book opens with a young Potter living with his extended family relatives who are non-magical beings. He discovers his own magical powers and is thus enrolled at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for further training.
2. Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets (1998)
- Genre: Fantasy
- Paperback volume: 251
- Original publishing date: 2 July 1998
- Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK) Scholastic Inc. (US)
- ISBN: 0747538492
- Series highlight: Harry Potter deal with attacks caused by the opening of the Chamber of Secrets
- Awards: 2001 Whitaker’s Platinum Book Award and 1998 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Gold Medal in the 9–11 years division.
Harry Potter and his schoolmates are attacked by forces coming forth from the mysterious chamber of secrets located in their school. It later turns out that Lord Voldemort has manipulated the persons that opened up the chamber, and Harry deals with it with the help of his pals.
3. Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
- Genre: Fantasy
- Paperback volume: 317
- Original publishing date: 8 July 1999
- Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK) and Scholastic Inc. (US)
- ISBN: 0747542155
- Series highlight: Harry Potter goes head to head with his parent’s alleged killer, Sirius Black
- Awards: 1999 Whitbread Book of the Year for children’s books and the 2000 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel.
The 3rd Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, sees Harry Potter butt heads with the supposed killer of his parents named, Sirius Black. It, however, turns out that Black is innocent, and Harry Potter uses time-traveling magic to set Black free from the horrible dementors.
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
- Genre: Fantasy
- Paperback volume: 636
- Original publishing date: 8 July 2000
- Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK) and Scholastic Inc. (US)
- ISBN: 074754624X
- Series highlight: Voldemort is resurrected, and Harry Potter takes part in the Triwzard Tournament
- Awards: the 2001 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the 2002 Indian Paintbrush Book Award.
The fourth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on 8 July 2000. Harry Potter represents his school in a competition involving similar schools of Wizadry and achieves victory. His joy and celebration are, however, cut following attacks by evil forces. He escapes, but his nightmare has just started as Voldemort is resurrected.
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Genre: Fantasy
- Paperback volume: 766
- Original publishing date: 21 June 2003
- Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK) and Scholastic Inc. (US)
- ISBN: 0747551006
- Series highlight: Harry Potter gets some support from the order of the phoenix in his battle against Voldemort.
- Awards: 2003 American Library Association Best Book Award for Young Adults and 2004 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio.
This is the fifth Harry Potter book, and the stakes are only getting higher. Harry Potter and his school principal, Albus Dumbledore, try to sound the alarm that the evil Voldemort is now back, but the Ministry of Magic ignores them. Dumbledore is forced to set up the order of the phoenix to fight Voldemort, and they help to save Harry’s life.
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
- Genre: Fantasy
- Paperback volume: 607
- Original publishing date: 16 July 2005
- Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK) and Scholastic Inc. (US)
- ISBN: 0747581088
- Series highlight: Harry Potter prepares for the inevitable showdown with Lord Voldemort.
- Awards: 2006 British Book of the Year Award and the 2005 reader-voted Quill Awards for Best Book of the Year and Best Children’s Book
Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince is the penultimate book in the series, ad this means that the ultimate clash between Potter and Voldemort is upon us. To prepare for this, Harry Potter enlists the help of Dumbledore. He studies the background of Voldemort. He also tries to destroy the Horcruxes, where Voldemort stores his souls. Dumbledore is later killed, much to Harry Potter’s anguish.
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
- Genre: Fantasy
- Paperback volume: 607
- Original publishing date: 1 July 2007
- Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK) Scholastic Inc. (US)
- ISBN: 0747591059
- Series highlight: Harry Potter ultimately defeats Lord Voldemort
- Awards: The 2008 Colorado Blue Spruce Book Award.
The battle royal between Harry Potter and lord Voldemort finally takes place. Defenders of Hogwarts fight against Voldemort and his camp, and Harry finally defeats Lord Voldemort using the Horcrux to resurrect from death when killed.
How To Listen To Harry Potter Audio Books
Listen to Harry Potter Books on AudibleYou can listen to Harry Potter audiobooks on platforms such as Audible. Audible is an Amazon service that offers customers access to podcasts, audiobooks, etc. You will be required to subscribe, though, to be able to listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks.
You can also purchase CD recordings of Harry Potter audiobooks from bookstores such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon. This is a good option when going away to a remote place without internet connectivity.
It may also be possible for one to listen to Harry Potter audiobooks on Prime Reading. This is equally an Amazon bonus service for members that already subscribe to Amazon Prime. It grants them access to e-books, audiobooks, magazines, and more.
How Long Are the Harry Potter Books?
The Harry Potter books are 3417 pages long in total. The first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has 223 pages, while the second, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is 251 pages long.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is 317 pages long, while Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has 636 pages. The fifth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is 766 pages long, while the sixth, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, has 607 pages, the same as the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
What is The Longest Harry Potter Book?
The longest Harry Potter book is Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix, which has 766 pages. It was published in 2003 and is the fifth Harry Potter book. The reason why it is quite long is because of its story arc.
It explores and reveals why Voldemort wants to take out Harry Potter at all costs (it has been predicted that Harry is the one that has the power to counter him and prevent him from achieving his dream of immortality and domination of both magical and non-magical beings alike).
This is an important revelation that explains a lot, and as such, J.K. Rowling made it very detailed so that readers would understand and follow what was going on.
How Many Harry Potter Illustrated Books Are There?
Only the first five Harry Potter books have illustrated versions. They are Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000), and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003).
The official illustrator of the Harry Potter books is a British artist named Jim Kay. However, in 2022 he announced that he would be stepping down to take care of his mental health. This means that there might be a delay before the illustrated versions of the remaining two Harry Potter books come out, i.e., Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007).
How To Know If You Have First-Edition Harry Potter Books
You can tell if your Harry Potter book is the first edition by looking at the printer’s key, which can be found on the copyright page. It is a set of different numbers, and if the lowest number there is 1, then you have a first-edition Harry Potter book in your hand.
Additionally, the date of publication must correspond with the year that the particular book was first published. Of course, the publisher must be Bloomsbury. If you meet these requirements, then you can potentially sell your Harry Potter first edition book for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
