The book was published in the United Kingdom on 8 July 1999 byBloomsbury and in the United States on 8 September 1999 byScholastic, Inc.[b] The book, which took Rowling one year to write, sold 64,000 copies in just three days after its release in the United Kingdom,[5] and since has sold over three million in the country. The book won the 1999Whitbread Children's Book Award, theBram Stoker Award, and the 2000Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and was short-listed for other awards, including theHugo.
Thefilm adaptation of the novel was released in 2004, grossing more than $810 million and earning critical acclaim. Video games based on the novel have also been released.
During the summer, Harry accidentally performs magic at the home of his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. After this incident, he uses The Knight Bus to travel to London, and spends the summer there. While staying at theLeaky Cauldron inn, Harry is visited byCornelius Fudge, theMinister for Magic, who warns him aboutSirius Black, a mass murderer who escaped from the wizard prisonAzkaban.
With Black at large,Dementors have been stationed atHogwarts as a security measure. During a Care of Magical Creatures lesson withHagrid,Draco Malfoy is injured after provoking ahippogriff named Buckbeak. Draco's father,Lucius Malfoy, gets Hagrid put on trial for owning a dangerous creature. Harry repeatedly faints in the presence of the Dementors, but eventually is taught byProfessor Lupin how to repel them using the Patronus Charm. When Harry is unable to participate in weekend trips toHogsmeade Village,Fred and George give him amagical map that shows him how to get there using a secret passage. At the Three Broomsticks pub, Harry overhears that Black is his godfather, that he betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort, and that he now seeks to kill Harry as well.
When Ron's pet ratScabbers disappears, he blames Hermione and her cat Crookshanks. Ron and Hermione stop talking to each other, although Hermione is distraught when Ron is attacked by Black inside the Gryffindor dormitory. After the attack, Black cannot be found. When Harry, Ron and Hermione learn that Buckbeak will be executed, they console Hagrid, and Ron and Hermione resume their friendship. Ron also finds Scabbers hiding in Hagrid's hut. As the friends make their way back to the castle, Ron is attacked by a large black dog, which drags him through the passageway leading to Hogsmeade. Harry and Hermione give chase, and find themselves in theShrieking Shack, where the dog is revealed to be Black in hisAnimagus form. Lupin arrives, and Black states that he intends to kill Scabbers, not Harry. He explains that Scabbers isPeter Pettigrew, who betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort and framed Black for mass murder. Black and Lupin compel Pettigrew to change into his human form, then haul him back to Hogwarts.
On the way to the castle, the full moon causes Lupin to transform into a werewolf. Pettigrew escapes and is pursued by Black, Harry and Hermione, who encounter Dementors and lose consciousness. They awaken in the castle, where Black is now being held captive. Harry and Hermione proclaim his innocence to Dumbledore, who suggests using Hermione'sTime Turner. Harry and Hermione travel back in time and save both Black and Buckbeak, who fly away together. Snape blames Lupin for Black's disappearance and makes his werewolf identity public, which forces Lupin to resign. On the train back to London, Harry receives a letter from Black, expressing his gratitude to Harry for saving his life.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third book in theHarry Potter series. The first,Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was published byBloomsbury Publishing on 26 June 1997 and the second,Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published on 2 July 1998.[6]J. K. Rowling started to write thePrisoner of Azkaban the day after she finishedThe Chamber of Secrets.[7] Rowling said in 2004 thatPrisoner of Azkaban was "the best writing experience I ever had...I was in a very comfortable place writing (number) three. Immediate financial worries were over, and press attention wasn't yet by any means excessive".[8]
Gregory Maguire wrote a review inThe New York Times forPrisoner of Azkaban: in it he said, "So far, in terms of plot, the books do nothing new, but they do it brilliantly...so far, so good."[9] In a newspaper review inThe New York Times, it was said that "'The Prisoner of Azkaban' may be the best 'Harry Potter' book yet".[10] A reviewer forKidsReads said, "This crisply-paced fantasy will leave you hungry for the four additional Harry books that J.K. Rowling is working on. Harry's third year is a charm. Don't miss it."[11]Kirkus Reviews did not give a starred review but said, "a properly pulse-pounding climax...The main characters and the continuing story both come along so smartly...that the book seems shorter than its page count: have readers clear their calendars if they are fans, or get out of the way if they are not."[12] Martha V. Parravano also gave a positive review forThe Horn Book Magazine, calling it "quite a good book."[13] In addition, aPublishers Weekly review said, "Rowling's wit never flags, whether constructing the workings of the wizard world...or tossing off quick jokes...The Potter spell is holding strong".[14]
However,Anthony Holden, who was one of the judges againstPrisoner of Azkaban for the Whitbread Award, was negative about the book, saying that the characters are "all black-and-white", and the "story-lines are predictable, the suspense minimal, the sentimentality cloying every page".[15]
In 2012 it was ranked number 12 on a list of the top 100 children's novels published bySchool Library Journal.[16]
Prisoner of Azkaban sold more than 64,000 copies in the UK within three days of publication, which made it the fastest selling British book of the time.[5] The sales total by 2012 is said byThe Guardian to be 3,377,906.[3]
The cover of the US "Advance Reader's Edition", featuring anHarlequin pattern
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was issued, prior to publication, in two distinct UK proof editions, and one US "Advance Reader's Edition".[31] The first UK proof, in purple wrappers, differs from the second in a number of respects, and is thought to have been printed in a small edition of 50 copies.[31] The second UK proof is in green wrappers and was printed in a somewhat larger run.[32][33] The US Advance Reader's Edition is the last of its kind in the Harry Potter series,[citation needed] as no Advance Reader's Editions are known for books 4 through 7.[citation needed] The rear wrapper of the Advance Reader's Edition reveals the circumstances of the US publication of the book:
Due to the unprecedented demand for this book, we have moved the publication date up a full year. (We understand, we couldn't wait to read it either!). Accordingly, we have rushed to bring this Advance Reader's Edition to you as quickly as possible.[citation needed]
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released in hardcover in the UK on 8 July 1999[34] and in the US on 8 September.[34] The UK edition was released at the unusually precise time of 3.45pm, so as to avoid children skipping school in order to purchase the book.[31] The first state of the hardback edition features an error on p. 7, with an unintended carriage return in a block quote. Two further issues were released, both fixing the error. Across all three states, 5,150 were printed by Clays Ltd.[31]
The British paperback edition was released on 1 April 2000,[35] while the US paperback was released 1 October 2001.[36]
Bloomsbury additionally released an adult edition with a different cover design to the original, in paperback on 10 July 2004[37] and in hardcover in October 2004.[38] A hardcover special edition, featuring a green border and signature, was released on 8 July 1999.[34] In May 2004, Bloomsbury released a Celebratory Edition, with a blue and purple border.[39] On 1 November 2010, they released the 10th anniversary Signature edition illustrated by Clare Mellinsky and in July 2013 a new adult cover illustrated by Andrew Davidson, both these editions were designed by Webb & Webb Design Limited.[40]
Beginning on 27 August 2013, Scholastic will release new covers for the paperback editions ofHarry Potter in the United States to celebrate 15 years of the series.[41] The covers were designed by the author and illustratorKazu Kibuishi.[42]
An illustrated version ofHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released on 3 October 2017, and was illustrated byJim Kay, who illustrated the previous two instalments. This includes over 115 new illustrations and will be followed by Illustrated editions of the following 4 novels in the future.[43] Jim Kay announced on 6 October 2022 that he would not be illustrating the final two Harry Potter books and that his last work,Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, would be released on 11 October 2022.[43]
The film version ofHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released in 2004 and was directed byAlfonso Cuarón from a screenplay bySteve Kloves.[44] The film debuted at number one at the box office and held that position for two weeks.[45] It made a total of $796.7 million worldwide,[46] which made it the second highest-grossing film of 2004 behindShrek 2. However, among all eight films in theHarry Potter series,Prisoner of Azkaban had the lowest total gross.[47] The film placed at number 471 onEmpire magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.[48]
^Maguire, Gregory (5 September 1999)."Lord of the Golden Snitch".The New York Times.Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved13 October 2010.
