Harry Potter the Complete Series

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

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-*****

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

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.

About the delivery and customer service by Amazon: the product was delivered in a box that was barely holding together, and there was a big scratch on top of the beautifully illustrated box, so I talked to the very helpful chat customer service, who immediateley arranged a replacement, which arrived (in Belgium!) only 4 days later, undamaged (this time) in an Amazon box. Hatts off to Amazon's customer service. About the product itself: I found the Children's editions covers not very appealing, and the adult edition too dark, and was rumored to have a bad quality. This edition (signature hardback) strikes the balance between enchanting and not too childish, with minimalistic and beautiful covers, high quality paper and a very nice box. The story of course is amazing, even better to read in the original UK English. If you want to buy British Harry Potter box set I can definitely recommend this product to you, you will not regret it!

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.

Bought this item through a "used" seller - but am delighted with the quality of the books (crispy and new) and even the damaged box itself is still sturdy and attractive. Received delivery less than 72 hours after order, and it would have been the day before, but I missed the postie's visit. I much prefer these versions of the novels. Their covers are colourful and youthful without being silly or garish, and much preferable to the adult ones I've read, which are dowdy, boring and dark. Also, the print isn't so large so this reduces the overall weight and size of the book a bit, especially when you get to "Phoenix" the longest novel of the series. Paper quality could be better, but is perfectly acceptable for a series which will see a bit of repeated useage and general carting around. If you want a real "keep forever" set then I'd suggest buying the hardbacks - but you'd need plenty of storage space, the longer novels are massive in hardback! Very happy with the seller, and quality and look of this item. It only remains now to enjoy this magical series ... again.

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.