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.

EDITED on 4th July '10 TO ADD: I HAVE FOUND A FAULTY DISC (mentioned by another reviewer, but they didn't say which number disc it was) - IT IS DISC 38. I HAVE CONTACTED AMAZON, WHO ARE REPLACING THE WHOLE SET. It is presented in a strong, cardboard, illustrated box with hinged lid, enclosed in a cardboard slipcase. The CDs are in illustrated cardboard cases, and both are clearly numbered, and coloured according to each book. There is an extra CD containing an interview between Stephen Fry and J K Rowling. I am half way through listening to Book 4. I am enjoying the series very much, and listening means you don't miss a thing. Despite the fact that I have read all the books at least 3 times, I know now that I missed bits, and some things seem much funnier when you hear them read to you. However, a previous reviewer has picked up on the only small criticism that I have too. (Nearly) all the characters sound as if they come from public schools. However, as it is not advertised as 'dramatised', that is an unfair criticism, really. I have read that in the US version narrated by Jim Dale (who is English), he does lots of character voices very well, but the US version has been amended for US people who apparently can't work out what a 'dustbin' or 'Mum' or 'homework' are, so I chose this version and I am not sorry. Apart from that, which is a small thing really, it is great. It is easy to find your place as there are frequent digital markers, and you can clearly hear every word that is spoken, which isn't always the case with audio books. It was expensive, it is true, but downloading it is as expensive and you only have it in one place then.

this magnificent box set contains all 7 enchanting HARRY POTTER books. Each of these books are exciting, funny, dark, clever and very sad! My personal favourite was HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE but THE DEATHLY HALLOWS wasn't far behind! Non of them are the worst, because there isn't a single page in this series that is dull (even HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX which is 966 pages long in this edition. Adult Adition is better than children's because the front covers are better, the pages are smaller (so you can get past a page faster) and they look beautiful together. The box is made of cardboard and has wonderful, elegant pictures printed on it of the locket (book 7) the goblet (book 4) Azkaban (book 3) and the stone (book 1). I will now list the books in order and tell you there condition and how good they are. HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE: condition-***** the book-***** HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS: condition-***** the book-***** HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN: condition-**** the book-***** HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE: condition-***** the book-***** HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX: condition-***** the book-***** HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE: condition-***** the book-***** (may favourite one!) HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: condition-***** the book-*****

These books are stunning! They took longer than advised to arrive but they came from the states so these things can’t be helped! The books are so different to the uk ones and I am so excited to finally have a set to read!! They are such a lovely edition I would recommend to any fan of Harry Potter looking for a slightly different set of covers!