How Many Harry Potter Books Are There? 2024 Must-Read Guide

It’s been more than two decades since J.K. Rowling gave us a glimpse of what would be an iconic series. In fact, it created the Potterverse and the most popular fantasy movie of all time.

However, with all these book and movies in tow, people are still left wondering - how many Harry Potter books are there? Let’s find out. 

7 Main Harry Potter Books

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

You’re a wizard, Harry! As Harry turns eleven, he finally learns of his true nature - a wizard celebrated in the magic world for having defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (er...Voldemort) when he was just a baby. The news was delivered rather forcefully by Hagrid, a gruff half-giant who’s bound to accompany Harry on his first mystical adventure.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the novel that started it all. It was first published in the United Kingdom in 1997. The following year, it was released in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. 

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 

Harry Potter and his friends return to Hogwarts for their second year - this time with an epic entrance - as the flying Ford Anglia of the Weasleys come crashing into the Whomping Willow. And just when they thought their second year would just be breezing through, Harry learns that he can speak Parseltongue, they encounter the Chamber of Secrets, and again, ended the year with a Voldemort face-off. This time, as his younger self, Tom Riddle. 

This novel’s film adaptation received extremely positive reviews and became the fifth highest-grossing film in history. 

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In the third installation of the Harry Potter series, Harry meets his father’s friends. First, there’s Professor Remus Lupin, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, with whom Harry forms a bond with. Lupin shows Harry how to use the Patronus charm to fight off the Dementors. We learn soon that Lupin’s been keeping a dark secret of his own - his being a werewolf. 

Next, there’s Sirius Black - a supposedly mentally ill serial killed who just escaped Azkaban, the wizard jail. As a result, Dementors, characterized as faceless evil creatures, roam around Hogwarts in search of Black. To make things complicated, Harry had an “allergic” reaction to the Dementors, which caused him to faint during a Quidditch match. 

Harry subsequently learns that Sirius Black is, in fact, his godfather. 

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 

After joining the Weasley family and a few other friends in the exciting Quidditch World Cup, Harry returns for his fourth year at Hogwarts. Everyone was thrilled as the school was chosen to host the Triwizard Tournament to be participated by the three major wizarding schools - Hogwarts, Beauxbaton, and Durmstrang. 

Only students aged at least 17 years old may participate - or so we thought. Apparently, Lord Voldemort had other plans. Harry reluctantly joined the match, and the purportedly delightful game turned into the gruesome murder of Hogwarts student Cedric Diggory.  

You'll find some of the best Harry Potter quotes in this book. 

5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 

After learning about Voldemort’s return at the end of the Goblet of Fire, the Ministry of Magic appears to show no action, terrified to upset the old (and rich) Wizarding families. Now it’s up to the trio (Harry, Ron, and Hermione) to take action as they form the vigilante movement, Dumbledore’s Army. 

J.K. Rowling released the fourth and fifth installation of the Harry Potter series three years after the third book. In fact, before the launching of the fifth book, around 200 million copies of the first four books were sold and translated into different languages in more than a hundred countries. 

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 

Harry and the Half-Blood Prince teaches us about trust, death, and loyalty, among others. Here, you’ll find how our well-loved characters grew from innocent First Years to sensible adolescents. 

Professor Dumbledore teaches Harry Potter valuable lessons to train him on how to bravely face Voldemort in the future, something that was bound to happen. What Harry doesn’t know is that the Professor was planning something bigger - and evidently, heartbreaking. 

The film version was released in 2009.

Read: Harry Potter Cakes Ideas For Fans

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows follows the events that occurred right after Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

In the seventh and final book, Harry Potter swears to find all of Voldemort’s Horcruxes and kill him once and for all. As we already know, the Horcruxes are personal artifacts that house pieces of Voldemort’s soul, making him invincible unless all are destroyed. This simply means that Harry needs to find all artifacts and destroy them before battling Voldemort. 

The final battle takes place with many Death Eater and Wizard casualties, including Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Nymphadora Tonks. A weak Voldemort tries to Kill for the last time by using the Killing Curse, but the Elder Wand refused to heed his command. The spell rebounds on Lord Voldemort, getting rid of him forever. 

The novel ends with a heartwarming epilogue set nineteen years later. 

The seventh novel in the Harry Potter series retains the Guiness World Record as the most number of novels sold within the first 24 hours of publication, with more than 8 million sold in the United States alone (1). 

Additional Book:

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 

Although it wasn’t part of the original 7-book series, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a widely popular addition to the Harry Potter series. It begins where the Deathly Hallows epilogue left off, with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger-Weasley, and Draco Malfoy sending their children off to the magical Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

Here we’ll find the unexpected bond and friendship between Harry’s son Albus and Malfoy’s son Scorpius. 

Other Complementary Books in the Wizarding World:

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Quidditch Through the Ages
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard
• Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide
• Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists
• Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald — The Original Screenplay

FAQs

What are the differences between the Harry Potter books and the films?

There are several differences between the Harry Potter books and the films, but the most notable is how the characters that played a rather active role in the books were omitted or merely mentioned only in the film adaptations. 

Potterhead, You’ve Got Some Catching Up To Do!

Now that we’ve answered the question as to how many Harry Potter books are there, it’s time to get into your own personal reading nook and relive the world of magic, love, loyalty, and friendship. 

There are seven Harry Potter books in the series, but we can’t seem to get enough, can we? This saga has delighted both children and adults around the world. The stories will captivate you regardless of age. Believe me. You’re never too old to read Harry Potter.