J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to Be Published on
July 16, 2005 in the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia
NEW YORK and LONDON, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Harry Potter and
the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, the sixth in the best-selling series,
has been scheduled for release on July 16, 2005 in the United States, Britain,
Canada and Australia, it was announced today by Scholastic and Bloomsbury, her
publishers. On her website, http://www.jkrowling.com, J.K. Rowling announced
yesterday that she had delivered the manuscript to her publishers.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041221/NYTU031-a )
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041221/NYTU031-b )
In making the joint announcement, Barbara Marcus, President of Scholastic
Children's Books in the United States, and Nigel Newton, Chief Executive of
Bloomsbury Publishing in Britain, said, "We are delighted to announce the
publication date. J.K. Rowling has written a brilliant story that will dazzle
her fans in a marvelous book that takes the series to yet greater heights.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince delivers all the excitement and wonder
of her best-selling previous Harry Potter novels."
In the fifth and most recent book, Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix, the last chapter, titled "The Second War Begins," started:
'In a brief statement Friday night, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge
confirmed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned to this country and
is active once more.
"It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling
himself Lord - well, you know who I mean - is alive among us again," said
Fudge.'
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince takes up the story of Harry
Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at this
point in the midst of the storm of this battle of good and evil.
The author has already said that the Half-Blood Prince is neither Harry
nor Voldemort. And most importantly, the opening chapter of Harry Potter and
the Half-Blood Prince has been brewing in J.K. Rowling's mind for 13 years.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling's fifth Harry
Potter book, was released on June 21, 2003, and was the fastest-selling book
in history on the first weekend of its publication. All five Harry Potter
books, 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, as well as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, have been
number one bestsellers in the United States, Britain, and around the world.
Scholastic will publish Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in
hardcover under the Arthur A. Levine imprint with interior and cover art by
Mary Grand Pre, who has illustrated the previous five books. The price will
be $29.99.
About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (Nasdaq: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and
distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology.
Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products
for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines,
technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film,
videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a
variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-
based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs;
retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's
Internet site, http://www.scholastic.com .
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