Below is the complete list of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books in publication order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Harry Potter Books in Publication Order
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s / Philosopher’s Stone (1997)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s / Philosopher’s Stone was published in 1997 and is listed as book #1 in the Harry Potter series. - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
Published in 1998, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is listed as book #2 in the Harry Potter series. - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a 1999 release and appears as book #3 in the Harry Potter series. - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
In the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is book #4 and was published in 2000. - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was first published in 2003; within the Harry Potter series, it is listed as book #5. - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was published in 2005 and is listed as book #6 in the Harry Potter series. - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
Published in 2007, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is listed as book #7 in the Harry Potter series. - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016)
(With Jack Thorne, John Tiffany)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a 2016 release and appears as book #8 in the Harry Potter series.
Harry Potter Companion Books in Publication Order
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2000)
(As: Newt Scamander)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was published in 2000 and is listed as book #1 in the Harry Potter Companion series. - Quidditch Through the Ages (2001)
(As: Kennilworthy Whisp)
Published in 2001, Quidditch Through the Ages is listed as book #2 in the Harry Potter Companion series. - The Tales of Beedle the Bard (2016)
The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a 2016 release and appears as book #3 in the Harry Potter Companion series. - The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac (2023)
In the Harry Potter Companion series, The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac is book #4 and was published in 2023.
Harry Potter Illustrated Editions Books in Publication Order
with Jim Kay
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: The Illustrated Edition (1997)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: The Illustrated Edition was published in 1997 and is listed as book #1 in the Harry Potter Illustrated Editions series. - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition (1998)
Published in 1998, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition is listed as book #2 in the Harry Potter Illustrated Editions series. - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Illustrated Edition (1999)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Illustrated Edition is a 1999 release and appears as book #3 in the Harry Potter Illustrated Editions series. - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Illustrated Edition (2003)
In the Harry Potter Illustrated Editions series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Illustrated Edition is book #4 and was published in 2003. - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The Illustrated Edition (2019)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The Illustrated Edition was first published in 2019; within the Harry Potter Illustrated Editions series, it is listed as book #5.
Harry Potter Short Stories/Novellas Books in Publication Order
- Harry Potter: The Prequel (2008)
Harry Potter: The Prequel was published in 2008 and is listed as book #1 in the Harry Potter Short Stories/Novellas series.
Harry Potter Picture Books in Publication Order
- Christmas at Hogwarts (2024)
(With Ziyi Gao)
Christmas at Hogwarts was published in 2024 and is listed as book #1 in the Harry Potter Picture series.
Pottermore Presents Books in Publication Order
- Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies (2016)
Published in 2016, Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies is listed as book #1 in the Pottermore Presents series. - Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists (2016)
Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists is a 2016 release and appears as book #2 in the Pottermore Presents series. - Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide (2016)
In the Pottermore Presents series, Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide is book #3 and was published in 2016.
Fantastic Beasts The Original Screenplay Books
By: J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – The Original Screenplay (2016)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – The Original Screenplay was published in 2016 and is listed as book #1 in the Fantastic Beasts The Original Screenplay series. - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – The Original Screenplay (2018)
Published in 2018, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – The Original Screenplay is listed as book #2 in the Fantastic Beasts The Original Screenplay series. - The Secrets of Dumbledore – The Complete Screenplay (2022)
(With Steve Kloves)
The Secrets of Dumbledore – The Complete Screenplay is a 2022 release and appears as book #3 in the Fantastic Beasts The Original Screenplay series.
About Harry Potter
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is a seven-book fantasy sequence that follows Harry Potter from neglected orphan to central figure in a hidden magical war. The story begins with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, published in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and follows Harry through each year of his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Although the books are often remembered for spells, houses, creatures, and school adventure, the series is held together by a much larger conflict involving identity, death, loyalty, prejudice, and the return of Lord Voldemort.
Harry enters the magical world at eleven, discovering not only that he is a wizard but that his parents were murdered by Voldemort when he was a baby. That history makes him famous before he understands why, and Rowling uses that imbalance to shape much of the series. Harry is repeatedly treated as a symbol, a survivor, or a threat, while he himself is still a boy trying to understand friendship, school, family, and the strange expectations placed on him.
Hogwarts gives the early books much of their charm and structure. The castle, moving staircases, portraits, ghosts, feasts, Quidditch matches, and house rivalries create a world that feels both magical and familiar. Harry’s friendships with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger form the emotional center of the series. Ron brings warmth, humor, and a connection to everyday wizarding family life, while Hermione brings intelligence, discipline, and moral courage. Their friendship is not perfect, but its growth across the books gives the story its strongest human foundation.
The first three novels are often more school-mystery driven, with each book built around secrets hidden within Hogwarts or Harry’s past. The Chamber of Secrets deepens the history of Voldemort and introduces questions of blood status and prejudice, while The Prisoner of Azkaban expands Harry’s understanding of his parents, betrayal, and the people who loved them. By The Goblet of Fire, the series changes scale dramatically. The wider wizarding world becomes more visible, the danger turns public and irreversible, and Voldemort’s return moves the story into darker territory.
The later books are increasingly concerned with power and its misuse. The Ministry of Magic, the press, school authority, family lineage, and magical law all become part of the conflict. The Order of the Phoenix shows how denial and bureaucracy can become dangerous, while The Half-Blood Prince looks more closely at Voldemort’s origins and the choices that made him what he became. By The Deathly Hallows, the school-year pattern breaks almost completely, sending Harry, Ron, and Hermione outside Hogwarts to face the final pieces of the war.
One of the series’ strengths is the way earlier details return with greater meaning. Objects, names, family histories, spells, and casual remarks often become important later, giving the books a strong sense of long-term design. The structure rewards reading in order because Harry’s understanding grows gradually, and the tone matures with him. The world that first appears whimsical becomes more morally complicated as the characters age.
Harry Potter is ultimately a coming-of-age fantasy about love, choice, and resistance to dehumanizing power. Its magic is memorable, but its lasting force comes from the relationships beneath it: the friends who stay, the adults who sacrifice, the families people are born into, and the families they choose. The series follows Harry through fear, anger, grief, and responsibility, but it never loses sight of the idea that courage is often built through loyalty, not isolation.