Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens [Hardcover]

J. K. Rowling (Author), Klaus Fritz (Translator)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Carlsen Verlag GmbH (December 1999)
• Language: German
• ISBN-10: 3551551685
• ISBN-13: 978-3551551689
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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 Ston"e 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars J.K.Rowling did it again!, April 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens (Hardcover)

"Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens" is the German translation of the second Harry-Potter-book. I think I don't have to tell you anything about the story - see the reviews of the English version for details (besides: who wants to read more about the content of such a book than the back page offers - it would spoil some of the fun since the Potter books are in part a crime story!).

The translation is - judging from my reading experience - well done and worth reading. The language is not too complicated so the book qualifies as reading stuff for a foreigner wishing to practice his German reading skills. I didn't find any translation mistakes - the language sounded genuine German and was vivid and fun to read. The names (always a problem when translating) are not altered, so some of the flair that comes with the nicely selected names of the original is lost to the non-English reader. But this second book shows that this is the right way to go: there is a name-letter-puzzle which plays a key role in this book and translating that one would have been a very hard task indeed.

So the translation receives 5 stars, all well earned for the content as for the translation.

My final note goes to the discussion if this book is for adults as well as teenagers or not: anyone waiting for deep insights into the society, mankind and the world we live in will be disappointed when reading this book. But it is by far the best youth book I ever read, 350 fast pacing pages and I never regretted that I bought it. Nobody whants to read Joyce all the time. And when I turn too light reading stuff, I expect quality as well. Here is where this book has its place in the adult market.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great way to increase German language skills., August 23, 2007

By 

A. Moeller - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens (Hardcover)

I needed a book in German that would motivate me to keep at it, so that I could increase my understanding and use of German. This book was perfect. The story was so good, I relied on context more and more, rather than compulsively looking up each new word in a dictionary. This is how I learned as a child, and it's still a good way to learn.

5.0 out of 5 stars Harry Potter Made Better :), December 19, 2010

By 

Sabela - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens (Hardcover)

Of course, you can't argue with the original British English version, but I absolutely love picking my way through this book (along with the other six, which I incidentally bought for much, much cheaper in Germany). Apart from being a great story (as I think everyone knows) it's also perfect for German language learners. It's not too much of a mouthful, I've found that I can read it with about 80-90% fluency now, looking up an occasional word. I definitely recommend it!