How Many Harry Potter Books Are There? 2025 Must-Read Guide

It has been over twenty years since J.K. Rowling provided us with a preview of what would become a legendary series. Indeed, it established the Potterverse and the most popular fantasy film in history.

However, despite the many books and films available, many individuals continue to question – how many Harry Potter books are there? Let us discover the answer.

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

You are a wizard, Harry! As Harry reaches the age of eleven, he discovers his true identity – a wizard renowned in the magical realm for having defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (or Voldemort) when he was merely a baby. This news was conveyed quite emphatically by Hagrid, a rugged half-giant who is destined to accompany Harry on his inaugural mystical journey.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the book that initiated the entire saga. It was initially published in the United Kingdom in 1997. The subsequent year, it was made available in the United States under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and his friends make their way back to Hogwarts for their second year – this time making an epic entrance – as the Weasleys’ flying Ford Anglia crashes into the Whomping Willow. When they believed their second year would be smooth sailing, Harry discovers his ability to speak Parseltongue, and they stumble upon the Chamber of Secrets. Once again, they conclude the year with a confrontation against Voldemort. This time, he appears as his younger self, Tom Riddle.

The film adaptation of this novel garnered exceptionally favorable reviews and became the fifth highest-grossing film of all time.

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In the third installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry meets friends of his father. First, there is Professor Remus Lupin, the newly appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor, with whom Harry develops a connection. Lupin teaches Harry how to use the Patronus charm to repel the Dementors. It is soon revealed that Lupin harbors a significant secret of his own – he is a werewolf.

Following this, we meet Sirius Black – a man believed to be a mentally unstable serial killer who has just escaped from Azkaban, the wizarding prison. Consequently, Dementors, depicted as faceless malevolent beings, patrol Hogwarts in search of Black. To complicate matters further, Harry experiences an “allergic” reaction to the Dementors, leading him to faint during a Quidditch match.

Ultimately, Harry discovers that Sirius Black is, in reality, his godfather.

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Following his integration into the Weasley family and few other companions at the thrilling Quidditch World Cup, Harry returns for his fourth year at Hogwarts. The excitement was palpable as the school was selected to host the Triwizard Tournament, which would involve the three major wizarding institutions – Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons.

Participation was supposedly limited to students who were at least 17 years old—or so we thought. However, it seems that Lord Voldemort had other plans. Harry reluctantly joined the competition, and what was expected to be an enjoyable event transformed into the tragic murder of Hogwarts student Cedric Diggory.

5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Following the revelation of Voldemort’s return after the Goblet of Fire, the Ministry of Magic seems to take no decisive action, fearing the repercussions on the established (and wealthy) Wizarding families. Consequently, it falls upon the trio—Harry, Ron, and Hermione—to take a response by establishing the vigilante group known as Dumbledore’s Army.

J.K. Rowling published the fourth and fifth installments of the Harry Potter series three years after the release of the third book. In fact, before the launch of the fifth book, approximately 200 million copies of the first four books had been sold and translated into various languages across more than 100 nations.

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry and the Half-Blood Prince imparts lessons on trust, death, and loyalty, among other themes. In this narrative, we observe the evolution of our well-loved characters from naive First Years to mature adolescents.

Professor Dumbledore imparts crucial lessons to Harry Potter, preparing him to confront Voldemort courageously in the future, an inevitable encounter that awaits him. What Harry doesn’t know is that the Professor had grander plans in motion – plans that were, as it turns out, profoundly heartbreaking.

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows continues the story immediately following the events of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

In this final book, Harry Potter is determined to locate all of Voldemort’s Horcruxes and eliminate him once and for all. As previously established, the Horcruxes are personal items that contain fragments of Voldemort’s soul, rendering him invulnerable unless they are all destroyed. This indicates that Harry must seek out and destroy each artifact before battling Voldemort.

The final battle resulted in numerous casualties among Death Eaters and Wizards, including Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Nymphadora Tonks. A weakened Voldemort attempts to kill one last time using the Killing Curse, but the Elder Wand does not comply with his command. The spell rebounds upon Lord Voldemort, leading to his permanent demise.

The story concludes with a touching epilogue set nineteen years later.

The seventh book in the Harry Potter series holds the Guinness World Record for the highest number of copies sold within the first 24 hours of its release, with over 8 million copies sold in the United States alone.

Source: toynk.com