Harry Potter Books 1-7 Special Edition Boxed Set: The Complete Series

This purchase has turned out to be a priceless investment. Since the Potter series drew to a close, many of us have relied on the movies to rekindle the excitement of the Potter adventure; however the films obviously fall quite short. If, like me, you first picked up the Philosophers Stone over a decade ago and read the whole collection by July 2007 (Deathly Hallows in a bit of a hurry, no doubt) then this is the set for you. With the conclusive evidence of Book VII, the whole set deserves re-reading (or listening), and you will be pleasantly reminded of Rowling's continuity of plot even from Book One, the excitement of each Hogwarts year and the excellent storytelling therein. Complete and unabridged, there are 103 CDs (divided into the 7 books) each approximately 75minutes long, with about 70 tracks on each - making it easy to find your place should you take a break. There is also one short bonus CD which includes an interview between Rowling and Fry. As a commuter, this box set has re-energised my journey to and from work. I was initially reluctant to splash £195, but have not looked back since I listened to the first chapter of Philosopher's stone again. Having the story read to you particularly helps to pick up on details which you may have missed: very satisfying. Lastly, I've never been a huge Stephen Fry fan, but he reads this perfectly. It is easy to forget the story is being read at all, as he uses a range of voices and brings the story to life captivatingly yet effortlessly. My one criticism would be that he tends to make most characters sound quite posh, however you can still differentiate the well-spoken Mad-Eye Moody from the well-spoken Ludo Bagman. Few audiobook narrators have such skill. New to the books, or refreshing your memory, I would recommend this set to anyone with regular access to a CD player.

Good value for money, good quality product, fast delivery, beautiful gift

Excellent set beautifully boxed for keeping the books safe and displayed nicely.

I got the hardback Signature Edition set from my wife for Christmas. She enjoyed that the order was "dispatched" instead of "shipped". I love this set but there was some damage to one book cover, more on that later. I think the Signature Edition covers have the best illustrations/art. Also each book has a different cover color which makes it easy to pick out the one you want. The ribbon is nice bonus for keeping your place. I’m really excited about reading this set and also reading it to my daughters (3 and 5) when they are old enough. The only problem I have with the set is that the copy of Goblet of Fire has some cover damage causing one edge to look chewed. It doesn't seem to be Amazon’s or UPS’s fault because the box was sealed and showed no sign of damage. Also all the other books are in perfect order. This leads me to believe it was damaged before being placed into the box and sealed by the publishing company. I did send Bloomsbury a message about getting another copy. I don’t want to hassle Amazon with it since I feel that it is not their fault. Also, sending the entire set back to the UK is a large hassle. Other than the damage on one book, I think this is a great set and a wonderful compliment to the work of Harry Potter.

If, like me you missed the harry potter phenomenon and have finally got around to seeing what all the fuss was about then this is a perfect place to start. I really like the adult covers and they help to capture your imagination before opening the book. I'm only on the third book (prisoner of azkaban), but I'm enjoying my journey through the world of harry potter just like thousands of people before me and this box set gives me all the books in one handy collection. The paper is of average quality and the print ordinary size and easy to read. The box is nice and gives a sense of occasion when moving from book to book and makes it feel like one huge long journey. My only problem with the books is that Rowling feels the need to constantly remind the reader some basic things that are explained in the first books which you might find a little repetitive if you are going straight from one to the other. Each book feels quite self contained and could almost be likened to episodes of a TV show. So you can re-read your favourite books and not worry about having to remember a load of backstory in the process. If you liked lord of the rings or terry pratchetts diskworld universe then you will love the adventures of harry potter.

Good quality and love the books

I'm so glad I bought my Harry Potter books here! I moved out from living with my family and the ones we had were my brothers and I absolutely love Harry Potter, so I had no choice but to replace his with my own. They were way cheaper than it would have been to buy brand new books from the store and there's just something about an old book smell. However, I can tell that these books have been used. One of the arrived without the protective sleeve and there's another that has a funky smell that is actually quite strong. Other than that though, the books are in great shape. Pages aren't bent, missing, or written on. I did find an old notecard with some writing in one of the books but I just thought that was funny. Overall, I'm glad I saved some money buying these instead of brand new ones. And of course the series is absolutely amazing!

For my reviews of the individual books, check out Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) , Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) , Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire , Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix , Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) , and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . Happy reading. While I got into this book series a bit late in the game (I wasn't even aware of its existence until after the release of the fourth book...shame on me) I quickly caught up and I've been hooked ever since. I don't think any book series has been this solid from beginning to end. J. K. Rowling spent an extraordinary amount of time even just developing the setting and plot and it shows. The world us Muggles aren't aware of isn't just squeezed into this little space where there happens to be room for it. No, its woven right into our own world so seamlessly that we'd never notice where one world ends and the other begins...it all works flawlessly. The characters are all great except one (check out my above-mentioned reviews to see who.) They are funny, brave, smart, wonderfully annoying, perfectly psychopathic, and so much more. Everyone has their own specific favorites and that's just fine...there are so many to choose from. My favorite throughout this series is absolutely Hermione Granger. She is smart but doesn't always have all the answers. She's resourceful but doesn't always have exactly what is needed. She's friendly but has her limits. She's tough but can get scared. In my opinion, she is the most flushed-out and most interesting character in these books. I have a whole pool of characters who make second place on the list after Hermione, including Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, Mad-Eye Moody, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley and pretty much his entire family, and more. Lord Voldemort also makes this list as he is one of the creepiest, evil, and finest villains in literary fiction that I've seen far and wide. Harry Potter does make that list, but it's a close call. He's interesting because of his background and the role he plays, but as for personality and similar qualities, he's pretty bland. I wasn't always wondering how'd he get out of some mess he was in...I was wondering what twists and turns would come next in the story. I didn't want Harry to die, but there were characters who I'd have probably fought for more vigorously. Ultimately, he was a decent protagonist throughout these seven books, but I feel he could have been more. In the United States, these audio books are read by Jim Dale, who does an amazing job. While some of the many different voices he does do indicate that he's behind all of them, so many more don't. Like J. K. Rowling, Jim Dale is able to take us into this world and make us truly believe. Things come alive and magic is real when Mr. Dale begins narrating. A job well done! I will depart from my normal methodology for reviews on Amazon and comment on the price for the whole series of audio books. It's high, no doubt about that. But, when you break it down, it comes out to about $40, which is the average price for the individual audio books on Amazon. The question remaining is simply whether to buy this set all at once or buy the individual books over time? Either way, it's worth it. J. K. Rowling gave us an amazing series of books. Jim Dale brought that series to life on these audio books. Pick them up and follow Harry across this seven-year saga. While my opinion about the epilogue from Deathly Hallows remains as I've described in my review for that book, I will definitely listen to these great books over and over again. These are so much more than just kids' books. Enjoy. P.S.: So, which Hogwarts House would you be sorted into? My Order of Preference: 1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 3. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince 4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Please keep your hate mail to a minimum. Thanks.

One of my very first buys from Amazon in 2014. It was delivered to my home at Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The quality of the books was amazing. I am totally satisfied and happy with the HP books received.

Minor spelling errors but overall good read