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Release date: September 17, 2007 | Age Range: 10 and up
Enjoy the complete Harry Potter series performed by the Grammy Award-winning Jim Dale. This complete unabridged audiobook collection contains the following: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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'The listener is clutched by the throat' Daily Express 'Stephen Fry is "the Potter perfect narrator" ' The Times
About the Author
Since publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997, the Harry Potter novels have sold 350 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 64 languages. J.K. Rowling has generated huge popular appeal for her books across the generations in an unprecedented fashion: she was the first children's author to be voted the BA Author of the Year, and also to win the British Book Awards Author of the Year. J.K. Rowling lives with her family in Edinburgh.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
J K (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling was born in the summer of 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where she went to Wyedean Comprehensive. Jo left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, and where her course included one year in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London to work at Amnesty International, doing research into human rights abuses in Francophone Africa. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a Manchester to London King's Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel. Jo then moved to northern Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. She married in October 1992 and gave birth to her daughter Jessica in 1993. When her marriage ended, she returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, where "Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone" was eventually completed and in 1996 she received an offer of publication. The following summer the world was introduced to Harry Potter."Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in June 1997 and was published as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in America by Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic in September 1998.The second title in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", was published in July 1998 (June 2, 1999 in America) and was No. 1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts for a month after publication. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was published on 8th July 1999 (September 8, 1999 in America) to worldwide acclaim and massive press attention. The book spent four weeks at No.1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts, while "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" simultaneously topped the paperback charts. In the US the first three Harry Potter books occupied the top three spots on numerous adult bestseller lists.The fourth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia 8th July 2000 with a record first print run of 1 million copies for the UK and 3.8 million for the US. It quickly broke all records for the greatest number of books sold on the first weekend of publication. The fifth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia on 21st June 2003. Published in paperback on 10th July 2004, it is the longest in the series - 766 pages - and broke the records set by "Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire" as the fastest selling book in history. The sixth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", was published in the UK, US and other English-speaking countries on 16th July 2005 and also achieved record sales.The seventh and final book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," was published in the UK, US and other English speaking countries on 21st July 2007. The book is the fastest selling book in the UK and USA and sales have contributed to breaking the 375 million copies mark worldwide.J K Rowling has also written two small volumes, which appear as the titles of Harry's school books within the novels. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and "Quidditch Through The Ages" were published by Bloomsbury Children's Books and Scholastic in March 2001 in aid of Comic Relief. The Harry Potter books have sold 400 million copies worldwide. They are distributed in over 200 territories and are translated into 67 languages.
I, like many other people, used to dislike Harry Potter. I had never actually read the books, but for some reason looked down on Potter fans, thinking them to be a bit off color. I was certain that the whole thing was highly overrated and that it had been blown way out of proportion (like Twilight).
I could not have been more wrong. I finally read the books at the continuous urging of a friend in my junior year of high school, and they have become my favorite books of all time. I have already reread all seven books and stood in line for hours to see the midnight premiere of the newest movie.
When is the last time you have read a book and instantly wanted to pick it up and read it again? It doesn't happen often.
I can't even begin to tell you how incredible these books are. Not only are they very entertaining, but they are filled with the important themes of good vs. evil, the power of love, and the value of good choices. The characters in this book have become part of my life.
If you are at all hesitant to read this series because of its classification as a 'fantasy' series, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. Yes, the book is about wizards and magic, but you would be shocked at how quickly the story pulls you in.
I can only ask you to PLEASE read the first book. If you like it, keep reading. If you don't, keep reading. The books get better as they progress, and I feel that the final chapters of the last book are some of the best reading I have ever done.
Also, do not judge these books from the movies. Everybody knows that the book is always better than the movie, and it's the same case here. The movies are great, but you need to read the books to fully appreciate what's happening and become a true Potter fan.
There's no question that the contents of the books inside this so-called chest are of the highest order. The entire Harry Potter epic was ingenious, brilliant, engaging, and encouraged hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of young readers to read when they might have rather played with their Xbox.
But this is about the packaging, and the packaging is just horrid.
I wasn't expecting something that was as heavy and substantial as, say, a pirate's chest, but I certainly was hoping that the box was more sturdy than a few flaps of cardboard rather cheaply assembled, and easily DISassembled.
I bought this so that I would have a full set of unread hardcovers with the original artwork, for the sake of posterity. In one of the worst marketing decisions I've seen regarding the Harry Potter series, the publishers thought it would be a good idea to include the extras (decals and whatnot - things I'm not interested in) shrink wrapped with the books. To get at them, you have to tear the shrink wrap, and thus compromise the books over time (a long period of time, and admittedly not much would be compromised).
Also, the clasp on the box was cheap plastic. Horrible. I almost broke it when undoing it. Is a metal clasp too much to ask for? Apparently it is.
I'm not completely dissatisfied with the purchase, because the books are phenomenal. I would have purchased a compilation of all seven books at some point, but I wish I had waited until they offered such a product without the sadly and unfortunately shoddy "chest". When I bought this product, I absolutely, 100% was buying the packaging, and the packaging was dismal.
I am a big Harry Potter fan and am no less than thrilled to pieces to finally own the complete set of books. (and in hardback no less) The books in this collector's set are the same books (content, artwork, cover and all) that have been sold before individually.
Yet I'm somewhat disappointed, if not slightly disillusioned that the "special collectors case" was a huge letdown. Given the obvious fact that Harry is huge worldwide, it would had behooved the publishers to do right by this commemorative set and make the case out of engineered wood (at the very least!) Instead they opted for the cheaper route and decided to make it out of... drum roll please.... CARDBOARD!
I dunno, maybe I was expecting to much?! (sigh...) 5 stars for Harry & minus one for the presentation...
I ordered this set to complement my hardcovers. I bought and read them all with great anticipation as each was released, but figured having the entire set in paperback would make future readings less cumbersome and more portable for one who is on the go a lot. Plus the price is good. Also, there is nothing wrong with the physical quality of the set I received. I inspected each book and the case closely after reading the first review. All look good!
These are great books, and definitely worth having for the collector. This is not a review of the books, but a review of the price. You are getting ripped off if you pay over $200 for these books. You can buy this exact set on amazon.co.uk which is the british version of amazon for 120 pounds plus shipping (which at the exchange rate today is equal to $176 plus shipping). So please look at the amazon.co.uk website like i did and save yourself a whole lot of money. Buyer Beware of sellers like this trying to con you into thinking they are giving you a deal.
There are minor differences: the covers are all different; the title of the first book is different for the British version (The Philosopher's Stone vs. The Sorcerer's Stone); there are also many, many minor wording differences between the two editions (a lot of the British terms and phrases are... Read more
Reading books we love is a strange and complex affair. We rush through them, devouring every new plot development and character revelation -- excitedly waiting to see what comes next and, ultimately, how the tale will end.
And then it does end and we get that empty feeling in our gut for a... Read more
So Ms. Rowling will not get a penny from this Kindle-owner who now has the time, and interest, to read the whole series after years of badgering from Potter-fan-friends! I travel almost constantly....so Harry Potter on my Kindle would have been a gem to look forward to reading at the end of each... Read more
