[Photo/Agencies]

Publisher Bloomsbury affected one small change by persuading Joanne Rowling to publish under the nom de plume J.K., convinced that boys would shy away from a book written by a woman.

Barry Cunningham, Rowling's original publisher at Bloomsbury, told The Daily Telegraph: "I couldn't be prouder of the Harry Potter legacy: not only has it made reading cool again, it has shown that families can all enjoy great stories together.

"We can believe that there is a real purpose to standing up to evil. And, of course, we can find our own magic."

Bagence France-presse