How Harry Potter changed the world
J.K. Rowling’s story, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was first published in the United States on September 1, 1998, and it has since grown into an all-encompassing phenomenon. Here’s a look back at how the book and its characters influenced publishing and pop culture.
Harry Potter’s US publication made it a bonafide phenomenon
Harry Potter first appeared in the UK 20 years ago, winning a Smarties Award and generating sales for Bloomsbury. Scholastic purchased the US publication rights for an incredible $105,000, which was ten times more than the average foreign rights sale at the time.
The first Harry Potter book wasn’t perfect, but it was magic
He knew he wanted to publish the series and that he loved it, but he had no idea how big it would become until Scholastic president Barbara Marcus begged him to do so.
The first Harry Potter book wasn’t perfect, but it was magic
In 1989, Scholastic purchased Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for $105,000, which came with a built-in publicity hook and a large budget, giving the book more resources than the average debut novel by an unknown author.
Why adults got so obsessed with the Harry Potter books
The Harry Potter books combine the intricate plotting of a mystery with the sweep and scope of epic fantasy; it’s pleasurable to read at any age; the fantastic mythology gives the world scope, magic, and joy, according to a study published in 2012.
Early on, the books were extremely controversial — and in many ways, they still are
There were numerous attempts to have the books removed from libraries and bookstores, and J.K. Rowling retroactively outed Dumbledore as gay in 2007, after the series ended.
Harry Potter’s popularity completely changed the publishing industry — and the effect spilled over to Hollywood
Since 2004, the children’s market has grown by 52 percent. Harry Potter made it possible to publish long works aimed at children, and it also made children’s literature a category full of mega-sellers, according to Booklist, which found that middle-grade novels grew 115.5 percent between 2006 and 2016.
Harry Potter fandom also paved the way for the mainstreaming of fandom and geek culture
Harry Potter fan forums, fanfiction, and fan art archives exploded across the internet in the early 2000s, and by 2005, the idea of a mainstream fandom coalescing around a sci-fi/fantasy series was well-established. Harry Potter fans have made significant marks on mainstream culture through their fandom. Some have gone on to become YouTube stars and industry celebrities.
Watch: Harry Potter and the translator’s nightmare
Vox has been covering the Covid-19 pandemic for over a year and a half, and readers helped us reach our goal of 2,500 financial contributions in September, so we’ve set a new goal: 4,500 by the end of the month.
What makes the Harry Potter books so good?
J. K. Rowling’s ability to write a book set in a magical world that readers all over the world fell in love with, as well as create characters with enough personality that people could root for throughout the story, is one of the main reasons why the franchise is so successful.
Why is the Harry Potter series so special?
Because it tells a story that millions of people love and introduces the world to an enormous and magical world that millions of people have dreamed of escaping into, the Harry Potter series is a phenomenon, and that’s why we’re still talking about these books 20 years later, and why all of this matters.
What is special about Harry Potter character?
Harry also possessed the unusual ability to speak and understand “Parseltongue,” a Dark Magic-related language, which he acquired as a result of harboring a piece of Voldemort’s soul, which he loses after the part of Voldemort’s soul inside him is destroyed at the end of The Deathly Hallows.
What makes Harry Potter magical?
Magic is depicted as a supernatural force that can be used to override the laws of nature in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Many fictional magical creatures exist in the series, while ordinary creatures occasionally exhibit magical properties, and magical objects are also described.
Why is Harry Potter banned?
The books were banned from the school library by Dan Reehil, a pastor at the Roman Catholic parish school of St Edward in Nashville, Tennessee, on the grounds that “the curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the person’s presence.”
Is Harry Potter the best series ever?
Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling is the best-selling book series in history, with more than 500 million copies sold worldwide, and the highest initial print run for any book in history, with twelve million copies printed in the first US run.
Who is the strongest wizard in Harry Potter?
Dumbledore has the highest capacity for power of any character in the Harry Potter universe, but he is hampered by serious flaws, much like Voldemort is.
Are the Harry Potter books boring?
Michael Rosen, the London-born poet and author of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, said the Harry Potter series is “boring” and inappropriate for young readers, adding that he has no emotional attachment to the books and would not read them to his own children.
Why is Harry Potter so rich?
All of his experiments led to the creation of numerous remedies that evolved into potions “still used to this day,” including Skele-gro (the one Madame Pomfrey gave Harry to regrow his arm bones) and Pepperup Potion, which established the Potter family’s fortune.
Is Harry Potter a pure blood?
Because his pure-blood father, James, married a Muggle-born witch named Lily, and his maternal grandparents were Muggles, Harry is a half-blood.
How old is Draco?
“Draco turns 35 today,” author J.K. Rowling tweeted in response to a fan, putting an end to speculation about how old Draco would be today.
What are Hermione Granger’s personality traits?
Hermione’s most distinguishing characteristics are her prodigious intellect and cleverness; she is levelheaded, book-smart, and always very logical. Throughout the series, Hermione employs the skills of a librarian and teacher to gather the information required to defeat Voldemort, the “Dark Lord.”
Did Harry Potter use an Unforgivable Curse?
In the books, Harry uses two of the Unforgivable Curses: in a duel with Bellatrix Lestrange, he attempts the Cruciatus curse, with mixed results; Bellatrix claims that righteous indignation isn’t enough to make the Unforgivable Curses work properly.
Can Harry Apparate?
Although it is said that no one can Apparate or Disapparate within Hogwarts, Harry technically broke the law during the Deathly Hallows because he had not taken the test. In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry and Dumbledore Apparate at the Astronomy Tower.
Can a Muggle be a wizard?
While a Squib, like a Muggle, cannot perform magic, they are often far more integrated into the wizarding world. For while a Muggle is as Muggle as they can be, with Muggle family members and, well, Muggle everything, one of the main differences with a Squib is that they are related to a witch or wizard, just without the magic.