The latest Harry Potter book will be published around the world on July 21, British author JK Rowling’s publishers announced on Thursday.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final instalment of the boy wizard’s adventures and follows his last year at Hogwarts, the school for witches and wizards.
Some fans fear that Rowling, who has said she is poised to kill off two characters, could give Harry the chop in the book.
She has said that she can understand authors who kill off characters “because that means there can be no non-author written sequels”, but admits to worrying about hate mail if she got rid of Harry.
The Harry Potter books have sold 325-million copies worldwide and have been translated into 64 languages, as well as being converted into a successful film franchise starring Daniel Radcliffe.
The fifth movie in the series is currently being filmed and is due for release next year.
The latest book’s publication date is for the English version only. Publishers Bloomsbury said they were “delighted at the prospect of publishing this most anticipated of books”. — AFP