Below is the complete list of J.K. Rowling books in publication order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Harry Potter Books in 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 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 Short Stories/Novellas Books in 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 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.
Harry Potter Illustrated Editions Books in 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.
Fantastic Beasts The Original Screenplay Books in Order
with 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.
Pocket Potters Books in Order
- Ron Weasley (2025)
Ron Weasley was published in 2025 and is listed as book #1 in the Pocket Potters series. - Hermione Granger (2025)
Published in 2025, Hermione Granger is listed as book #2 in the Pocket Potters series. - Harry Potter (2025)
Harry Potter is a 2025 release and appears as book #3 in the Pocket Potters series. - Albus Dumbledore (2026)
In the Pocket Potters series, Albus Dumbledore is book #4 and was published in 2026. - Luna Lovegood (2026)
Luna Lovegood was first published in 2026; within the Pocket Potters series, it is listed as book #5. - Dobby (2026)
Dobby was published in 2026 and is listed as book #6 in the Pocket Potters series. - Hagrid (2026)
Published in 2026, Hagrid is listed as book #7 in the Pocket Potters series.
Pottermore Presents Books in 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.
Cormoran Strike Books in Order
as Robert Galbraith
- The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013)
The Cuckoo’s Calling was published in 2013 and is listed as book #1 in the Cormoran Strike series. - The Silkworm (2014)
Published in 2014, The Silkworm is listed as book #2 in the Cormoran Strike series. - Career of Evil (2015)
Career of Evil is a 2015 release and appears as book #3 in the Cormoran Strike series. - Lethal White (2018)
In the Cormoran Strike series, Lethal White is book #4 and was published in 2018. - Troubled Blood (2020)
Troubled Blood was first published in 2020; within the Cormoran Strike series, it is listed as book #5. - The Ink Black Heart (2022)
The Ink Black Heart was published in 2022 and is listed as book #6 in the Cormoran Strike series. - The Running Grave (2023)
Published in 2023, The Running Grave is listed as book #7 in the Cormoran Strike series. - The Hallmarked Man (2025)
The Hallmarked Man is a 2025 release and appears as book #8 in the Cormoran Strike series.
Standalone Novels Books in Order
- The Casual Vacancy (2012)
The Casual Vacancy was published in 2012 and is listed as book #1 in the Standalone Novels series. - The Ickabog (2020)
Published in 2020, The Ickabog is listed as book #2 in the Standalone Novels series. - The Christmas Pig (2021)
(With Jim Field)
The Christmas Pig is a 2021 release and appears as book #3 in the Standalone Novels series.
Short Story Collections Books in Order
- From the Wizarding Archive: Curated Writing from the World of Harry Potter (2024)
From the Wizarding Archive: Curated Writing from the World of Harry Potter was published in 2024 and is listed as book #1 in the Short Story Collections series.
Non-Fiction Books in Order
- Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination (2015)
Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination was published in 2015 and is listed as book #1 in the Non-Fiction series.
About J. K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling is a British novelist best known for creating the Harry Potter series, a seven-book fantasy saga published between 1997 and 2007. Her official site describes those novels as the work that established her career, and they remain the center of her literary reputation. Over time, her bibliography expanded beyond the original wizarding world into companion volumes, screenwriting connected to the wider magical universe, and crime fiction published under the name Robert Galbraith.
She was born Joanne Rowling on July 31, 1965, in Yate, near Bristol, England. From an early age, reading and storytelling were central to her life, and that imaginative foundation clearly fed into the scale and confidence of her later fiction. She went on to study at the University of Exeter, where she read French and Classics, before working a range of jobs in the years before publication.
One of the most repeated turning points in her life is also one of the most important: the idea for Harry Potter came to her during a train journey in the early 1990s. On her own site, Rowling recalls the long process that followed, including the struggle to find a publisher. After multiple rejections, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was finally published by Bloomsbury in June 1997 under the name J.K. Rowling, with the “K” added at her publisher’s request.
That first novel became the beginning of something much larger than a successful debut. Reading Rowling’s books in publication order makes especially good sense because the Harry Potter series was built as a cumulative story: each book broadens the world, darkens the stakes, and deepens the emotional lives of Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the people around them. The early books are more contained and school-centered, while the later novels become increasingly political, tragic, and morally complex. That progression is one of the reasons the series has remained so powerful for readers across generations.
After the main series ended, Rowling did not simply leave fiction behind. She added to the wizarding world with companion works and later moved into new territory. Under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, she launched the Cormoran Strike crime novels, which gave her room to work in a very different register: contemporary, investigative, adult, and grounded in realism rather than fantasy. That shift matters in any overview of her books because it shows she is not only the author of one famous magical series, but a writer with multiple long-form fictional identities.
Her career has also included screenwriting and production work connected to her fictional worlds. At the same time, philanthropy has remained a major part of her public life. On her official site, Rowling identifies herself as Founder and President of Lumos, an international children’s charity focused on helping children grow up in families rather than institutions. That work has become one of the clearest non-literary extensions of her public identity.
What gives Rowling’s career its lasting shape is not only commercial success, but the way her work scales from intimate emotion to imaginative world-building. The Harry Potter novels begin with a lonely child discovering another life and grow into a story about power, death, loyalty, prejudice, and moral choice. Her later writing, whether in fantasy-adjacent projects or crime fiction, keeps that same interest in character under pressure. Seen in order, her books trace the path of a writer who began with one unforgettable fictional world and then proved she could keep building beyond it.