Fifth Harry Potter Novel To Be Published in June

Posted on January 17, 2003

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling, the fifth novel in the popular series has been scheduled for release on Saturday, June 21, 2003, it was announced by Scholastic and Bloomsbury publishers. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is over 255,000 words compared to over l9l,000 words in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The length of the book may explain some of the delay in its publication. Publishers and fans had been hoping the book would be available for last year's holiday season. Now that the release date has finally been announced, the hype can officially start: online booksellers already have the book available for pre-order and are heavily promoting it.

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 thrilled to announce the publication date. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is absolutely superb and will delight all J.K. Rowling's fans. She has written a brilliant and utterly compelling new adventure, which begins with the words:

The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive ... The only person left outside was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flowerbed outside number four."

Later in the novel, J.K. Rowling writes:

"Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. 'It is time,' he said 'for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.'"

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling's fourth Harry Potter book was released on July 8, 2000 and was the fastest selling book in history on the first weekend of its publication. All four Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as well as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, have been #1 bestsellers and are currently on bestseller lists in the United States, Britain and around the world.