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The Harry Potter Collection

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Six years of magic, adventure, and mystery make this paperback collection the perfect gift for Harry Potter fans of all ages.

Follow Harry from his first days at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, through his many adventures with Hermione and Ron, to his confrontations with rival Draco Malfoy and the dreaded Professor Snape. From a dangerous descent into the Chamber of Secrets to the Triwizard Tournament to the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, each adventure is more riveting and exhilarating than its predecessor, and now all six books are available together for the first time in a

Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

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About the author

J.K. Rowling

630 books226k followers
See also: Robert Galbraith
Although she writes under the pen name J.K. Rowling, pronounced like rolling, her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Ada Bulgen Rowling. She calls herself Jo and has said, "No one ever called me 'Joanne' when I was young, unless they were angry." Following her marriage, she has sometimes used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business. During the Leveson Inquiry she gave evidence under the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. In a 2012 interview, Rowling noted that she no longer cared that people pronounced her name incorrectly.

Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling (née Volant), on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bristol. Her mother Anne was half-French and half-Scottish. Her parents first met on a train departing from King's Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965. Her mother's maternal grandfather, Dugald Campbell, was born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mother's paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War.

Rowling's sister Dianne was born at their home when Rowling was 23 months old. The family moved to the nearby village Winterbourne when Rowling was four. She attended St Michael's Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More. Her headmaster at St Michael's, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

As a child, Rowling often wrote fantasy stories, which she would usually then read to her sister. She recalls that: "I can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed strawberries by the rabbit family inside it. Certainly the first story I ever wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee." At the age of nine, Rowling moved to Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, close to Chepstow, Wales. When she was a young teenager, her great aunt, who Rowling said "taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind," gave her a very old copy of Jessica Mitford's autobiography, Hons and Rebels. Mitford became Rowling's heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.

Rowling has said of her teenage years, in an interview with The New Yorker, "I wasn’t particularly happy. I think it’s a dreadful time of life." She had a difficult homelife; her mother was ill and she had a difficult relationship with her father (she is no longer on speaking terms with him). She attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College, where her mother had worked as a technician in the science department. Rowling said of her adolescence, "Hermione [a bookish, know-it-all Harry Potter character] is loosely based on me. She's a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I'm not particularly proud of." Steve Eddy, who taught Rowling English when she first arrived, remembers her as "not exceptional" but "one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English." Sean Harris, her best friend in the Upper Sixth owned a turquoise Ford Anglia, which she says inspired the one in her books.

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5 stars
26,480 (80%)
4 stars
4,727 (14%)
3 stars
1,181 (3%)
2 stars
247 (<1%)
1 star
338 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 972 reviews
Profile Image for LambchoP.
350 reviews108 followers
April 3, 2024
Books 1-6 are a fun ride for anyone looking for a family friendly, very addictive reading adventure...

As with any larger series, some books are definitely better than others, but I do feel the whole series is fairly consistent in it's quality. This would be a great purchase for anyone looking to get into Harry Potter.

If you're looking for reviews on each book separately check out my individual reviews for each installment:)
Profile Image for Jen Holman.
147 reviews2 followers
January 24, 2009
I do not own this spiffy box set of Harry Potter books, but no way was I going to sit down and input all 6 of them!! When we were in the UK on our honeymoon in the spring of 2000, Harry Potter fever was just hitting its stride there. Not long after that the books found their way to Canada and I fell in love with this series right from the first book. Again (I'm a broken record) great characters and time-old literary themes, as well as just being a very enjoyable read. I haven't gone to see the movies, because I don't want the characters in my mind replaced with British teen actors and Gary Oldman. (can't stand Gary Oldman.)

Fantastic read for any age. Some of my all-time favourite literary characters are from this series, like Dumbledore and Sirius Black. The books get heavier (literally and metaphorically) as the series progresses. The first book is the most child-like, shorter and lighter fare. The last book is downright philosophical and practically qualifies as a doorstop it's so weighty. The HP series is kind of like literary comfort food around here, if there's nothing else to read we'll just grab one and dive in. A definite must-read!
19 reviews
April 5, 2012
I loved these books. I never got into them at the same time the world went into its "Harry Potter Rage", but I couldn't help but give then a once over before I judged those people. They were right, in the end. The author gives us a parallel world where, once again, you can't help but hope it is as real as you or me. Set mostly in a school that, dare I say, every person who read the books wished their parents had sent them when they were little, the story seems to captivate with mysterious spells, strange people, and all around "what happens next!?-ness). The main cast is made up of 3 characters who bounce information, hilarity, and small jabs of honesty and cruelty at each other. What makes it more interesting is the fact that these kids go to school while doing the exact things that could get them kicked out in order to progress the story. I am not a Harry Potter fanatic, however. I do not wear "Muggle" shirts or have a wand. And yet, the depth of the story is very obliging to what I really wanted in a book. For a small while, it made me a child again. You will not regret this read.
Profile Image for Henna Chumber.
8 reviews
February 17, 2013
Great books-(and number 7!) I would only say that the plot is very similar to The Lord of the Rings( the ring has to be destroyed, so do the horcruxes ), as are some of the characters:
Gimli ----> hagrid
Dumbledore ----> gandalf
Anyway, they are excellent books, very inspirational. A new world has been created!
20 reviews
October 2, 2012
How good is this book? SO good I've read the whole series about 7 times! :) I love J.K. Rowling.
Profile Image for Norah.
29 reviews4 followers
January 3, 2015
I listened to all them as audiobooks! I was sorry I had waited so long to "read" them at all.
December 7, 2010
Harry Potter is regarderd as one of the best and most influential pieces of fiction ever to be written. I have no choice but to agree. This series sparked my love for reading and fantasy, which I am every grateful for. A review of content and themes is completely unnecessary, as virtually the entire population of the United States of America is knowledgeable of that content. However, I will say one thing: if you do not read Harry Potter in your lifetime, then you have failed as a reader. I recommend this series to everyone.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Thomas.
69 reviews4 followers
July 4, 2020
One of the stories from my childhood, it still thrills me when I re-read the book. Truly magical.
September 22, 2021
I have read all the books. What always fun about this was that after I read each book I went into the movie so I can spot the differences.
Profile Image for Wayv.
14 reviews5 followers
June 21, 2010
The world of Harry Potter is filled with things that just don't add up, at some point this floating pile just starts degrading the creative merits and prevents any further enhancement of the reader's world perception.

I'm not talking about credibility, obviously, but the painfully failing synergy between the fantastic elements. The force that keeps together the discworld or the forgotten realms... is simply absent here. It's apparent that the base premises struggle to support the scale to which this story has grown. And THEN come the legion of fans who step up and try to fix this profoundly feable work. Pathetic.

I enjoyed the book for its worth but this "phenomenon" drives me up the wall. I only hope these people's new-found enthusiasm for the genre spills quickly from this shallow cup into goblets of truer fire.
Profile Image for AJ Griffin.
63 reviews480 followers
Read
July 3, 2007
I think I'm finally at the age where I feel a bit weird about Harry Potter, but aren't we all? It's hard to write a 7-book series of gigantic epics about a teenage wizard and keep your fanbase at the same age.

But whatever. I doubt anyone who's read the first six books is going to ignore the last one and let some dickwad on the 6 o'clock news tell them how it ends. Will Harry die? I dunno. Is Snape really evil? I doubt it. Is Dumbledore really, truly dead? Shit no. But maybe now that all the characters are 17 or whatever, we can get some spicier (read: softcore porn) romance scenes. Can all those descriptions of Hermione as "bushy haired" really not have some deeper, more lustful meaning? Let's not kid ourselves.



sorry, that was really nasty.
Profile Image for Shanna.
22 reviews13 followers
March 23, 2007
Though it's become quite a "scene" thing to read, or to not read, it's beautifully written and original. I cannot wait for the last installment.
Profile Image for 'dora'.
2 reviews
Read
October 3, 2007
Harry potter is hero, he have a brain and self confident every thing that he done.I also go to the Movie for Harry Potter.
7 reviews1 follower
May 8, 2012
The best series I have ever read.
Profile Image for Dhiksha.
18 reviews
April 4, 2013
This book is god's gift to readers !!! i dont need to write a review about this book for ppl to know about its greatness ....
CLOSING STATEMENT :HARRY POTTER ROX !!!!
Profile Image for Emme_21.
11 reviews10 followers
March 2, 2017
Classics, everyone, of all ages, should read these books
Profile Image for Nate.
16 reviews
April 10, 2018
I have read and re-read the Harry Potter series more times than I can remember. The fun increased when I listened to the Audiobook read by Stephen Fry... that was something else entirely. Just epic.
Profile Image for Alaa.
47 reviews
July 6, 2022
How I love these collection of my childhood 💖
20 reviews
January 18, 2015
#5

The Harry Potter Series fall under the fantasy genre, and follows a young Mr. Harry Potter through the ages of 11-18 as he attempts to defeat Voldemort, the dark lord, and save both the wizarding and muggle world.

I cannot remember when I first read the series, but I do remember when I stood in line with my older sister at a book store in order to purchase a copy of the last book in the series. This book meant so much to my childhood, and kept me up late at night, hiding underneath my blanket from my parents as I attempted to just read 'one more chapter.' I am currently studying the Swedish language, and as part of that I am rereading the Harry Potter series in Swedish, beginning with the first book 'Harry Potter och den Vises Sken.' By doing this I am gaining much more from the series than simple childish enjoyment: I am growing as an individual. This book series brought my family together, as I remember my aunt acting out the characters in the books as she read them aloud to me and my cousins.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Malbadeen.
613 reviews7 followers
July 12, 2007
Thanks to Sarah I now know what all the hype is about. I too understand Harry's struggles, his joys, his fears, his fits of courage and his moments of angst. What I still don't get is who the hell cares? But I would like some credit for giving this a second shot (1st attempt only got me about 1/8 of the way through the audio version, 2nd attempt got me through, what... like 6 books? - true it was only being condensed and re-told for the purposes of understanding the movie but still I feel as though I got the jest).
And I have to admit after seeing the movie (ok seeing about 1/3 of the movie...thanks for letting me drive your car home Sarah) I too am curious: Will the smeglmorfes kill the neecomblobs? Will marfugaloz fall in love and marry whickensob? Can Valkuzelibs good be enough to over come Bagentoo's evil? So many questions left unanswered - I'm practically wetting myself thinking about how all this comes together in volume 9042!
Profile Image for Ammar Davawala.
20 reviews4 followers
April 16, 2017
i dont own this set of HP series i have a pdf in my phone which i happen to get from my friend one day i don't know what happened out of nowhere he took my phone send all 7 pdfs in my phone.
And the very next day i started reading...tho i wasnt gonna read it before coz i thought whats the point in reading if you already seen the MOVIE but then again i thought i have done the same with ANGELS and DEMONS and THE VINCI CODE i meant i read these after watching movies and i was quite enjoyed reading them.
SO I started reading and here i am done with six books and about to start a 7th one . I didn't expect to read all the books when i started but reading HP is like reliving potter magical world. Really very very enjoying
m glad that my frnd send me those pdfs even though i didn't ask.
i will read cursed child ofcourse... not in the pdf format but in the original book
P.S.i got very emotional at end of sixth book ....when dumboldore dies😭😭😭
Profile Image for Karen.
16 reviews4 followers
May 30, 2012
I think all the Harry Potter books are wonderful. The love between friends, adopted family. The strength, yet weaknesses of the characters are believable. I love them all so much. I wish I were part of the Weasley family. I have read each one at least twice if not more. I learned about good vs evil, which I already knew about but you know what I mean. Standing up for what you believe in no matter what. Just because someone is different than you doesn't mean that they aren't special too. That people can make a difference, no matter how small. For anyone who says these books are not good, due to the characters being wizards and witches makes me so sad. They are good people. In all societys there are good and bad. LOVE HARRY POTTER BOOKS!
Profile Image for Nicole.
185 reviews35 followers
June 25, 2007
OK...probably almost pointless to put a review of the Harry Potter books out here...but nonetheless.

If you haven't read these books yet, you should. I would say these are going to be one of the biggest pop culture icons of this part of the century. What Star Wars was to those of us growing up in the 80s - Harry Potter is to those growing up in the 2000s.

The books are quite cleverly written. The writing is surprisingly good, with lots of little puns within professor names and such. They're long - but very fast reads.

The books do get a bit darker as the series moves along...but you'll be so hooked after the first book you won't be able to put them down.
Profile Image for Toby McMillen.
132 reviews6 followers
January 30, 2008
I remained skeptical & snobbish about this series for quite awhile, until my son wanted me to read the first book to him. It hooked me, & I am now quite sad that the series is done. But I'm glad the author went out on a high note. Highlights: The Sorcerer's Stone, The Prisoner of Azkaban, & the Deathly Hallows were the best; 5 stars for those. I probably enjoyed the Order of the Phoenix the least. All, by the way, far outstrip their respective movies, but I must admit that when I read the books I see the characters as they appear in the flicks.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 972 reviews

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