Fire and Arson Investigator42, no. 2 (March, 1992):
36-47.
Corbett, Glenn P., and Donald J. Cannon.Historic
Fires of New York City. Mount Pleasant, S.C.: Arca-
dia, 2006.
Hashagen, Paul.Fire Department, City of New York: The
Bravest—An Illustrated Histor y, 1865 to 2002. Padu-
cah, Ky.: Turner, 2002.
Joseph Dewey
See also Crime; Illegal immigration; Immigration
to the United States; Oakland Hills fire; Texas A&M
bonfire collapse.
Harry Potter books
Identification Best-selling children’s fantasy
series
Author J. K. Rowling (1965- )
Date Published from 1997 to 2007
These titles became the best-selling children’s books of all
time, rekindling interest in reading among grade-school
children while sparking protest from some Christians.
The idea for the Harry Potter books
came to J. K. Rowling in the summer
of 1990 while she was riding a train
from Manchester to London. That
year, she outlined the plots of the
first two books, developed the back-
ground details, and wrote what
eventually became the last book’s
epilogue. In 1991, she moved to
Oporto, Portugal, to teach English.
There she wrote the first three chap-
ters of the first book, was married,
gave birth to a daughter, and was di-
vorced. Rowling and her daughter
moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, in
December, 1993. Rowling finished
the first book in 1994 while living on
welfare. In 1996, it was purchased by
Bloomsbury for a small advance,
and Rowling also received a grant
from the Scottish Arts Council to
complete the second book.
Harr y Potter and the Philosopher’s
Stonewas published in the United
Kingdom in July, 1997,Harr y Potter
and the Chamber of Secretsin July, 1998, andHarr y Potter
and the Prisoner of Azkabanin July, 1999. They all won
awards, including the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, re-
ceived mostly positive reviews, and became best sell-
ers. Although it did not win,Harr y Potter and the Pris-
oner of Azkabanwas nominated for the prestigious
Whitbread Award. In February, 2000, Rowling was
named Author of the Year at the British Book Awards.
With some minor revisions and a new title, the
first book, renamedHarr y Potter and the Sorcerer’s
Stone, was published in the United States by Scholas-
tic Press in September, 1998. The second book was
published in the United States in June, 1999, and the
third in September, 1999. On September 26, 1999,
the three books occupied the top three spots onThe
New York Timesbest-seller list. They were the first chil-
dren’s books listed there since E. B. White’sChar-
lotte’s Webin 1952. The American editions also won
awards, such as a Grammy for the audio version of
the fourth book,Harr y Potter and the Goblet of Fire
(2000), as read by Jim Dale, and have been the sub-
ject of mostly favorable reviews.
Impact Many librarians and teachers have testified
that the Harry Potter books are responsible forThe Nineties in America Harry Potter books 405
J. K. Rowling at a New York bookstore in 1998.(AP/Wide World Photos)