200px|thumb|Cover of the first book in the series, ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (British version)
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Harry Potter''' is a popular series of fantasy novels by British writer J. K. Rowling. It depicts 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 300 million copies
[ http://www.contemporarywriters.com/ ContemporaryWriters.com. http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth03D22J591912635584 "J. K. Rowling". Accessed 23 March 2006. ] and been translated into 47 languages, more than any other single book except the Bible and Book of Mormon.
Most of the narrative takes place in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, focusing on Harry Potter's journey toward manhood over the course of his education, relationships, and adventures. At the same time, the books explore the themes of friendship, ambition, choice, prejudice, courage, 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 scheduled for release in the summer of 2007. 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.
Origins and publishing history
In 1990, J. K. Rowling was on a crowded train from Manchester to London when the idea for Harry simply "fell" into her head. Rowling gives an account of the experience on her website saying, "I had been writing almost continuously since the age of six but I had never been so excited about an idea before. ... I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me".
That evening, the author began the pre-writing for her first novel, ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', a semi-detailed plan that would include the
