Harry Potter fans prepare to celebrate anniversary of first book being published
There will be a special exhibition about Harry Potter at the British Library.
Harry Potter fans around the world will today celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first book about The Boy Who Lived.
Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone was first published on June 26 1997 and has since sold more than 450 million copies worldwide in 79 languages.
Author JK Rowling had the idea for the stories about a young wizard and his friends and teachers at a school for magic while on a train journey and wrote the first book in a small cafe in Edinburgh.
The Elephant House has since become a tourist attraction for fans of the series.
October 5, 2014— Alix King (@preciousalix)
Rowling’s follow-up to The Philosopher’s Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, was published the following year in 1998, while Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban was published in 1999.
They were followed by Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, The Order Of The Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows.
The first film, which propelled stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint to global fame, was released in 2001 and the franchise wrapped up in 2011.
In honour of the 20-year anniversary, an exhibition celebrating the magic of Harry Potter will open at the British Library on October 20, while Rowling’s publisher Bloomsbury will release four new editions of the book, one for each house at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft & Wizardry.
The Pottermore, the online home of Harry Potter, recently announced a Wizarding World Book Club, allowing fans to revisit their favourite books and discuss them online.
