Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the Last Book of J.K. Rowling's Series

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh of J.K. Rowling's internationally-renowned and best-selling Harry Potter book series, is set to begin being sold on July 31, 2007.

Not everyone knows that this seventh title is also Rowling's last book of the Harry Potter series. The award-winning children's novelist announced on February 1st, 2007 that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" would come out July 21, bringing an end to one of the great phenomena of literary history. More than 325 million copies of the first six books have sold.

How does Rowling feel now that she has finished the final Harry Potter book? On her Web site, the author said that "Charles Dickens put it better than I ever could":

"It would concern the reader little, perhaps, to know how sorrowfully the pen is laid down at the close of a two-years' imaginative task; or how an Author feels as if he were dismissing some portion of himself into the shadowy world, when a crowd of the creatures of his brain are going from him for ever," reads the passage from Dickens' preface to "David Copperfield."

Rowling added: "To which I can only sigh, try seventeen years, Charles."

She went on to say: "I always knew that Harry's story would end with the seventh book, but saying goodbye has been just as hard as I always knew it would be."

"Even while I'm mourning, though, I feel an incredible sense of achievement. I can hardly believe that I've finally written the ending I've been planning for so many years. I've never felt such a mixture of extreme emotions in my life, never dreamed I could feel simultaneously heartbroken and euphoric."

She continued saying that "If it comes as any consolation, I think that there will be plenty to continue arguing and speculating about, even after 'Deathly Hallows' comes out. So if you're not yet ready to quit the message boards, do not despair."

"I'm almost scared to admit this, but one thing has stopped me collapsing in a puddle of misery on the floor. While each of the previous Potter books has strong claims on my affections, 'Deathly Hallows' is my favorite, and that is the most wonderful way to finish the series."

The Harry Potter books began with the release of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (re-titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States) in 1997. Since then, the books have gained immense popularity and commercial success worldwide, spawning films, video games, and a wealth of other items.

Book seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, midnight July 31, 2007, will be the last time customers meet at their local bookstore, many dressed up as Harry Potter characters, to purchase copies in this fun book-buying ritual.

Sources: Yahoo News, Wikipedia, jkrowling.com