Within 24 hours of its publication on July 16, 2005, nine million copies of
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince had been sold in the United States and in Britain alone. It became the fastest selling book in history at that time (
source).
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth in the series of seven books by author
J.K. Rowling, and it tells the tale of a young wizard Harry Potter's sixth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The book furthers the story of Harry's fight against Lord Voldemort, and it also highlights the joys and pitfalls of growing up.
J. K. Rowling is perhaps the most famous writer in the world. Most likely, she's at the tippy top of most people's "If I Could Meet Anyone in the World" list. Born on July 31, 1965 outside of Bristol, England, Joanne ("Jo") Rowling started writing at the ripe old age of six and didn't ever stop (except maybe to pester her little sister, Di). In 1991, she dreamed up the idea for the
Harry Potter series while riding a crowded train from Manchester to London. The only problem was that she didn't have a pen with which to write her ideas down. Rats. Instead, she spent her four-hour train ride dreaming, thinking, and planning. Brainstorm? More like brainmonsoon.
In 1998, the first book in the series,
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was published, and the world fell quickly and madly in love with Harry and his friends. By the year 2000, the next three books in the series had been published, and 35 million copies had been sold. Each of the three books had been translated into 35 different languages.
That's just the beginning. On June 21, 2003, the fifth book in the series (
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) sold five million copies within the first
hour of publication. By that time, the books had been translated into 55 different languages and were sold in over 200 different countries. Talk about an international best seller. Harry Potter quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, a household name, a popular Halloween costume idea, a friend, and, most importantly, the most famous adolescent known to humanity. Today, the books are published in 65 different languages, they've garnered more awards than we can count, and they have made Rowling richer than the Queen of England (
source).
Things get pretty serious and heavy in Book 6, we're not going to lie. But these more sobering themes of death and evil are balanced by the fun of watching Harry and his friends grow up and struggle with all of the growing pains associated with being a teenager. As compared with her previous books, Rowling particularly loved writing
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:
"Book six does what I wanted it to do and even if nobody else likes it (and some won't), I know it will remain one of my favourites of the series. Ultimately you have to please yourself before you please anyone else!" (
source)
Get your book ready, strap on your thinking cap, and prepare to dive into one of the most complex, moving, and thought-provoking years at Hogwarts yet. You'll need a notepad, a pen, lots of Kleenex, snacks (because you won't want to put the book down), and, most of all, an imagination willing to travel far.