Happy Birthday Ralph Fiennes

Today, actor Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort in upcoming Goblet of Fire film) turns 42. Happy Birthday Ralph!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Already a #1 Bestseller

It's been less than 12 hours since the release date of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and publication is more than 200 days away (see countdown above), and the book is already the #1 Bestseller at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Thanks Jutti! (Click below forContinued...

Chapter Count E-Mail an Error, says Scholastic; Book "Just Beginning Editing"

Earlier today, a Dutch fan site e-mailed to say that Scholastic told them that Half-Blood Prince was 38 chapters long; we've just had word from a Scholastic rep that the e-mail was "an error," and that "the book is just beginning the editing process andContinued...

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Good for Business

Today's news of a release date for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is good for business, at least those in the bookselling business. MSNBC has this report with a quote from an official from Barnes & Noble who said:

"Sales from the last Harry Potter book grossedContinued...

HBP "A bit shorter" than OotP

We've also received confirmation from Bloomsbury that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is "a bit shorter" than Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. (MuggleNet reported this this morning.)

Pre-Orders for Half-Blood Prince Now Available

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is now available on-line for pre-order.
Barnes and Noble(here) has their price set as $17.99 (USD).
Amazon.com has their pre-order price for the 6th Potter book set at $17.99(USD) as well.
Booksamillion.com also has the same price for their pre-orders.
Amazon.co.ukContinued...

Scholastic: Mary Grand Pre to Design Cover, Price Set at $29.99

Scholastic's Press Release confirms that the US price of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be $29.99, and that Mary Grand Pre will design her sixth straight HP cover. (There's also a placeholder purple cover here, but it's not very exciting.)

News Stories Herald Arrival of Half-Blood Prince

Many news stories are surfacing about the arrival of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Reuters has this story, which says that Scholastic will retail the book for $29.99 here in the US. We will update once the major online retailers have their pre-orders up as well.
Scholastic says theContinued...

OFFICIAL: HBP to be Released on July 16, 2005

It's official! July 16, 2005, will bring the sixth book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The news comes from Bloomsbury, JKR's British publishers, this morning:

"Harry Potter and the Half-BloodContinued...

HBP Release Stories Popping Up Everywhere; Scholastic says Release Date to be Announced in Morning

Newspapers and wire services all over are reporting the happy HBP News (even I wrote a story about it for tomorrow's edition of my newspaper). The Associated Press story so far appears in:

Newsday
ABC News
San Francisco Chronicle
Yahoo!

New Goblet of Fire Photos, including Yule Ball

Warner Brothers has released their newest preview of upcoming films and two new Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire pictures have been released, and we have them for you right here in HiRes. Enjoy!
Update: Now they're available in even higher res.

- Harry and Hermione (pre-first-task - theContinued...

HBP Release Date to be Announced in 24 Hours

All right, we couldn't wait for you all to break into JKR's study.
Jo Rowling has announced on her site that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is FINISHED, and we should hear a release date from her publishers in the next 24 hours. Check back here for updates.

Here's what JKR says aboutContinued...

JKRowling.com: Door Open - A VERY Happy Christmas, Everyone!

The door is open again on JKRowling.com. Click below to find out what you have to do to open it, and more about what's inside. Thanks speedy Emily!
There is an EXCELLENT message waiting inside but we're not putting it on the main page for a few more hours yet!
Click the Christmas treeContinued...

REVIEW: Unofficial Half-Blood Prince by WF Zimmerman

With the excitement building for the release of J.K.Rowling's newest installment in the Harry Potter series, it was inevitable that someone would write a book about the upcoming sixth novel to help pass the time. We at Leaky received a review copy of one such book, the Unofficial Half-BloodContinued...

J.K.Rowling and "Once Upon a Poem"

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has contributed a small quote that is included in a new children's poetry book. Once Upon a Poem: Favourite Poems That Tell Stories is a collection of poems with introductions from a variety of authors such as Philip Pullman, Cornelia Funke, and Mary Pope Osborne. J.K. RowlingContinued...