Wednesday, March 28, 2007

The publishing companies Bloomsbury (U.K.) and Scholastic (U.S.) released cover art for the seventh Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

“The structures around Harry show evident destruction and in the shadows behind him, we see outlines of other people,” David Saylor, Scholastic’s art director, said in a statement describing the U.S. version. “For the first time, the cover is a wraparound. On the back cover spidery hands are outstretched toward Harry. Only when the book is opened does one see a powerful image of “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named“, his glowing red eyes peering out from his hood.”

The children’s U.K. version of the cover shows an adult Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The adult U.K. version shows a locket with a serpentine forming an ‘S’. It is believed to be a horcrux in which Lord Voldemort stores part of his soul.

The seventh, and final, book is due out on July 21, 2007.

The U.S. covers for the Harry Potter series are drawn by Mary GrandPré. The U.K. covers are drawn by Jason Crockcroft.