How many 'Harry Potter' books are there? Every wizarding book in order of release.

The wizarding world is nearly 30 years old, but fans still haven’t seen enough of "Harry Potter." 

The magic continues beyond the original books in the "Fantastic Beasts" movies, at the aptly-named Universal Studios park and onstage with Broadway's "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."

Though the books themselves have largely remained beloved, many fans have been turned off by author J.K. Rowling's outspoken anti-trans views. In 2020, Rowling made a series of posts criticizing gender-neutral language suggesting that it assails the ability of cis women to discuss their experience with gender. More recently, she's come under fire for criticizing Scotland's new hate crime laws and misgendering British TV personality India Willoughby.

How many Harry Potter books are there?

There are seven books in the “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling.

Check out: USA TODAY's weekly Best-selling Booklist

The series starts after 11-year-old Harry gets a letter on his birthday inviting him to study wizardry at Hogwarts, a boarding school for witches and wizards. Though he’s always felt like an outcast living with his Aunt, Uncle and spoiled cousin, it’s not until this birthday that he finds out he’s a wizard – and a famous one at that.

The series follows Harry’s studies at Hogwarts with best friends Ron and Hermione and chronicles the impending danger posed by Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who killed Harry’s parents. 

Here are the eight “Harry Potter” books in order:

• 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

Many consider “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” to be the eighth "Harry Potter" book. Rowling’s epilogue to the original series, published as a play based on Rowling’s original story, follows Harry Potter’s youngest son Albus as he grapples with “the weight of a family legacy he never wanted.” The play is currently on Broadway.

Rowling has also published three other books in the wizarding universe. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” published between the fifth and sixth books, is a fictional textbook “written” by wizard Newt Scamander seventy years before Harry Potter and his friends read it at Hogwarts. It was adapted into a three-part film series starring Eddie Redmayne in 2016.

“The Tales of Beedle the Bard,” another Rowling novel dives into five fairy tales historically told to young witches and wizards in the "Harry Potter" universe. The book even includes notes from Hogwarts' headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore.

Rare finds:Proof copy of Harry Potter book sells for more than $13,000

When did Harry Potter come out?

Rowling’s original “Harry Potter” series released one book nearly every year from 1997-2007. Here’s when each book came out:

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: 1997
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: 1998
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: 1999
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: 2000
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: 2003
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: 2005
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: 2007

Rowling released “Fantastic Beasts” in 2001, “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” in 2008 and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” in 2016.

How many Harry Potter movies are there?

The “Harry Potter” book series is adapted into eight movies, with the “Deathly Hallows” split into two parts. Here’s when each movie was released:

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: 2001
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: 2002
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: 2004
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: 2005
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: 2007
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: 2009
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1: 2010
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: 2011

There are also three “Fantastic Beasts” movies – “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” and “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”

Warner Bros. Discovery also announced plans for a decades-long TV adaptation of the “Harry Potter” books with a new cast, expected to premiere in 2025 or 2026.

Harry Potter movies:Synopsis of each installment in the magical series

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