Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

{{Redirect|Half-Blood Prince|the film based on the novel|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film){{!}}Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|other uses}}

{{Infobox book

| name = Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

| image = Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince cover.png

| caption = Cover art of the first UK edition

| author = J. K. Rowling

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| illustrator = Jason Cockcroft (first edition)

| series = Harry Potter

| release_number = {{ordinal|6}} in series

| genre = Fantasy

| publisher = Bloomsbury (UK)

| pub_date = 16 July 2005

| pages = 607 (first edition)

| dewey = 823.914

| isbn = 0-7475-8108-8

| preceded_by = Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

| followed_by = Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

}}

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth and penultimate novel in the Harry Potter series, and takes place during Harry Potter's sixth year at the wizard school Hogwarts. The novel reveals events from the early life of Lord Voldemort, and chronicles Harry's preparations for the final battle against him.

The book was published in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury and in the United States by Scholastic on 16 July 2005, as well as in several other countries. It sold almost seven million copies in the first 24 hours after its release,{{Cite web |title=11 Million Copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Sold in First Nine Weeks |url=http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/11-million-copies-harry-potter-and-half-blood-prince-sold-first-nine-weeks |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006202913/http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/11-million-copies-harry-potter-and-half-blood-prince-sold-first-nine-weeks |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=Scholastic Media Room|archive-date=6 October 2016 }} a record eventually broken by its sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.{{Cite web |title='Deathly Hallows' sold 15 mn copies in 24 hours |url=https://inshorts.com/en/news/deathly-hallows-sold-15-mn-copies-in-24-hours-1467645762711 |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=Inshorts - Stay Informed |language=en}} There were many controversies before and after it was published, including the right-to-read copies delivered before the release date in Canada. Reception to the novel was generally positive, and it won several awards and honours, including the 2006 British Book of the Year award.

Reviewers noted that the book had a darker tone than its predecessors, though it did contain some humour. Some considered the main themes love, death, trust, and redemption. The considerable character development of Harry and many other teenage characters also drew attention.

Plot

After his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry has spent two weeks mourning the loss of his godfather, Sirius Black. As Albus Dumbledore escorts him to the Weasley home, they visit the retired Hogwarts professor Horace Slughorn, who agrees to resume teaching. Meanwhile, Bellatrix Lestrange and her sister Narcissa Malfoy convince Severus Snape to make an Unbreakable Vow to protect Narcissa's son Draco at Hogwarts.

While out shopping for school supplies, Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger observe Draco making inquiries at Borgin and Burkes, a shop known for its connection to the Dark Arts. At Hogwarts, the students learn that Slughorn will be teaching Potions, while Snape will be taking over Defence Against the Dark Arts. For Slughorn's first class, Harry and Ron borrow a pair of old textbooks. Harry's textbook previously belonged to someone known as "The Half-Blood Prince", and it contains many helpful tips. Following the instructions of the Prince, Harry becomes an expert potion brewer. He rises to the top of the class and wins a vial of the luck potion Felix Felicis.

Dumbledore prepares Harry for his eventual battle with Voldemort by educating him about Voldemort's past as Tom Riddle. While a student at Hogwarts, Riddle had asked Slughorn about objects called Horcruxes, which can grant immortality by encasing fragments of a wizard's soul. Dumbledore wants to see the memory as it appears in Slughorn's mind, and asks Harry to retrieve it from him. Harry joins the Slug Club, a group of Slughorn's famous, talented and well-connected students. Hermione and Ginny also attend the club, which causes Ron to feel left out. He accepts an invitation from Hermione to Slughorn's Christmas party, but upsets her when he kisses Lavender Brown. Meanwhile, Harry develops a crush on Ginny.

When Ron is poisoned and admitted to the infirmary, Hermione visits him. Harry discards his Potions textbook after he nearly kills Draco with one of the Prince's scribbled spells. Later, Harry's luck potion helps him obtain Slughorn's memory and causes Lavender to break up with Ron, and Ginny to break up with her boyfriend Dean Thomas, which allows Harry to start seeing her instead. Slughorn's memory suggests that Voldemort created six Horcruxes, though Dumbledore explains that two are already destroyed: his diary and a ring his grandfather owned. He asks Harry to accompany him to retrieve another.

In a remote cave, Harry and Dumbledore overcome many obstacles before seizing the Horcrux, the locket of Hogwarts founder, Salazar Slytherin. Back at Hogwarts, Dumbledore unexpectedly immobilizes Harry under his invisibility cloak. A group of Death Eaters arrives with Draco, who falters in an attempt to kill Dumbledore. Snape then casts the killing curse on Dumbledore and sends him falling to his death. Harry tries to fight Snape as he flees, but is overpowered. Snape reveals himself as the Half-Blood Prince and brags about creating the spells Harry is using. After Snape escapes, Harry discovers that the Horcrux he obtained is fake. He resolves to find and destroy all the remaining Horcruxes, and Ron and Hermione pledge to join him.

Development

=Series=

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth novel in the Harry Potter series.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6280000/newsid_6282500/6282542.stm|title=Book 6 – The Half-Blood Prince|publisher=CBBC Newsround|access-date=23 March 2011|date=10 July 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227001235/http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6280000/newsid_6282500/6282542.stm|archive-date=27 February 2009}} The first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was originally published by Bloomsbury in 1997. Philosopher's Stone was followed by Chamber of Secrets (1998), Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), Goblet of Fire (2000), and Order of the Phoenix (2003).{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:
{{cite news |date=19 July 2000 |title=Speed-reading after lights out |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/jul/19/jkjoannekathleenrowling |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231101931/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/jul/19/jkjoannekathleenrowling |archive-date=31 December 2013 |access-date=27 September 2008 |work=The Guardian |location=UK}}{{cite news |date=14 July 2007 |title=A Potter timeline for muggles |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/235354 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220001353/http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/235354 |archive-date=20 December 2008 |access-date=27 September 2008 |work=Toronto Star}}{{cite news |last=Cassy |first=John |date=16 January 2003 |title=Harry Potter and the hottest day of summer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jan/16/harrypotter.books |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231091101/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jan/16/harrypotter.books |archive-date=31 December 2013 |access-date=27 September 2008 |work=The Guardian |location=UK}}}} Half-Blood Prince was followed by the final novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Half-Blood Prince sold 9 million copies in the first 24 hours of its worldwide release.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:
{{cite news |date=21 December 2004 |title=July date for Harry Potter book |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4113663.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705094109/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4113663.stm |archive-date=5 July 2009 |access-date=27 September 2008 |work=BBC News |publisher=}}''{{cite web |last=Elisco |first=Lester |date=2000–2009 |title=The Phenomenon of Harry Potter |url=http://www.tomfolio.com/PublisherInfo/HarryPotter.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412015849/http://www.tomfolio.com/PublisherInfo/HarryPotter.asp |archive-date=12 April 2009 |access-date=22 January 2009 |publisher=TomFolio.com}}{{cite journal |last=Knapp |first=N.F. |year=2003 |title=In Defense of Harry Potter: An Apologia |url=http://www.iasl-online.org/files/jan03-knapp.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=School Libraries Worldwide |publisher=International Association of School Librarianship |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=78–91 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309051050/http://www.iasl-online.org/files/jan03-knapp.pdf |archive-date=9 March 2011 |access-date=14 May 2009}}{{cite news |date=14 July 2007 |title=A Potter timeline for muggles |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/235354 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220001353/http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/235354 |archive-date=20 December 2008 |access-date=27 September 2008 |work=Toronto Star}}{{cite web |title=Harry Potter: Meet J.K. Rowling |url=http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/books/author/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604101828/http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/books/author/index.htm |archive-date=4 June 2007 |access-date=27 September 2008 |publisher=Scholastic Inc}}{{cite news |date=19 July 2000 |title=Speed-reading after lights out |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/jul/19/jkjoannekathleenrowling |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231101931/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/jul/19/jkjoannekathleenrowling |archive-date=31 December 2013 |access-date=27 September 2008 |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |location=London}}{{cite web |title=Everything you might want to know |url=http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721043730/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/ |archive-date=21 July 2011 |access-date=14 August 2011 |publisher=J.K. Rowling Official Site}}{{cite news |date=1 February 2007 |title=Rowling unveils last Potter date |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6320733.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228101051/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6320733.stm |archive-date=28 December 2008 |access-date=27 September 2008 |publisher=BBC}}{{cite news |date=23 July 2007 |title=Harry Potter finale sales hit 11 m |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6912529.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081128201059/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6912529.stm |archive-date=28 November 2008 |access-date=20 August 2008 |publisher=BBC}}}}

=Background=

File:J. K. Rowling 2010.jpg

Rowling stated that she had Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince "planned for years," but she spent two months revisiting her plan before she began writing the story's first draft. This was a lesson learned after she did not check the plan for Goblet of Fire and had to rewrite an entire third of the book.{{cite web|url=http://harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/author/interviews/individual2|title=World Book Day Webchat, March 2004|publisher=Bloomsbury|date=March 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210163706/http://harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/author/interviews/individual2|archive-date=10 December 2010|url-status=dead}} She started writing the book before her second child, David, was born, but she took a break to care for him.{{cite web|first=J.K.|last=Rowling|url=http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=62|title=Progress on Book Six|publisher=J.K. Rowling Official Site|date=15 March 2004|access-date=21 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226055520/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=62 |archive-date=26 December 2010}} The first chapter, "The Other Minister", which features meetings between the Muggle Prime Minister, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, and his successor, Rufus Scrimgeour, was a concept Rowling tried to start in Philosopher's Stone, Prisoner of Azkaban, and Order of the Phoenix, but she found "it finally works" in Half-Blood Prince.{{cite web|first=J.K.|last=Rowling|url=http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=6|title=The Opening Chapter of Book Six|publisher=J.K. Rowling Official Site|access-date=21 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204062200/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=6|archive-date=4 February 2012|url-status=dead}} She stated that she was "seriously upset" writing the end of the book, although Goblet of Fire was the hardest to write.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4690000/newsid_4690800/4690885.stm|title=Read the FULL J.K. Rowling interview|publisher=CBBC Newsround|date=18 July 2005|access-date=8 May 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512030731/http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4690000/newsid_4690800/4690885.stm|archive-date=12 May 2011}} When asked if she liked the book, she responded, "I like it better than I liked Goblet, Phoenix or Chamber when I finished them. Book six does what I wanted it to do and even if nobody else likes it (and some won't), I know it will remain one of my favourites of the series. Ultimately you have to please yourself before you please anyone else!"{{cite web|first=J.K.|last=Rowling|url=http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=93|title=Do you like 'Half-Blood Prince'?|publisher=J.K. Rowling Official Site|access-date=21 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226084853/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=93 |archive-date=26 December 2010}}

Rowling revealed the title of Half-Blood Prince on her website on 24 June 2004.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-harrypotter-events/factbox-main-events-in-creation-of-harry-potter-phenomenon-idUSTRE6AA01E20101111|title=Factbox: Main events in creation of Harry Potter phenomenon|first=Reuters|last=Editorial|newspaper=Reuters|date=11 November 2010|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-date=8 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808181525/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-harrypotter-events/factbox-main-events-in-creation-of-harry-potter-phenomenon-idUSTRE6AA01E20101111|url-status=live}} This was the title she had once considered for the second book, Chamber of Secrets, though she decided the information disclosed belonged later on in the story.{{cite web|first=J.K.|last=Rowling|url=http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=77|title=Title of Book Six: The Truth|publisher=J.K. Rowling Official Site|date=29 June 2004|access-date=21 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226060055/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=77 |archive-date=26 December 2010}} On 21 December 2004, she announced she had finished writing it, along with the release date of 16 July.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/dec/21/harrypotter.jkjoannekathleenrowling |title=JK Rowling finishes sixth Potter book |work=The Guardian |location=UK |date=21 December 2004 |access-date=21 March 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917094105/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/dec/21/harrypotter.jkjoannekathleenrowling |archive-date=17 September 2014}}{{cite web|first=Stephen M.|last=Silverman|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1011770,00.html|title=WEEK IN REVIEW: Martha Seeks Prison Reform|work=People|date=23 December 2004|access-date=21 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322220629/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1011770,00.html|archive-date=22 March 2011}} Bloomsbury unveiled the cover on 8 March 2005.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4320000/newsid_4329200/4329229.stm|title=Latest Potter book cover revealed|publisher=CBBC Newsround|date=8 March 2005|access-date=23 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403005443/http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4320000/newsid_4329200/4329229.stm|archive-date=3 April 2012}}

Controversies

The record-breaking publication of Half-Blood Prince was accompanied by controversy. In May 2005, bookmakers in the UK suspended bets on which main character would die in the book amid fears of insider knowledge. A number of high-value bets were made on the death of Albus Dumbledore, many coming from the town of Bungay where it was believed the books were being printed at the time. Betting was later reopened.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/4578463.stm|title=Bets reopen on Dumbledore death|publisher=BBC|date=25 May 2005|access-date=21 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217050209/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/4578463.stm|archive-date=17 December 2008}} Additionally, in response to Greenpeace's campaign on using forest-friendly paper for big-name authors, Bloomsbury published the book on 30% recycled paper.{{cite news|first=Michelle|last=Pauli|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/mar/03/harrypotter.jkjoannekathleenrowling|title=Praise for 'forest friendly' Potter|work=The Guardian|location=UK|date=3 March 2005|access-date=28 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140918012839/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/mar/03/harrypotter.jkjoannekathleenrowling|archive-date=18 September 2014}}

=Right-to-read controversy=

In early July 2005, a Real Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, accidentally sold fourteen copies of The Half-Blood Prince before the authorised release date. The Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books, obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court of British Columbia that prohibited the purchasers from reading the books before the official release date or discussing the contents.{{cite news | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article543318.ece | work=The Times | location=London | title=Reading ban on leaked Harry Potter | first1=Jack | last1=Malvern | first2=Richard | last2=Cleroux | date=13 July 2005 | access-date=4 May 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529152440/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article543318.ece | archive-date=29 May 2010}} Purchasers were offered Harry Potter T-shirts and autographed copies of the book if they returned their copies before 16 July.

On 15 July, less than twelve hours before the book went on sale in the Eastern time zone, Raincoast warned The Globe and Mail newspaper that publishing a review from a Canada-based writer at midnight, as the paper had promised, would be seen as a violation of the trade secret injunction. The injunction sparked a number of news articles alleging that the injunction had restricted fundamental rights. Canadian law professor Michael Geist posted commentary on his blog.{{cite web|url=http://www.michaelgeist.ca/2005/07/the-harry-potter-injunction/|title=The Harry Potter Injunction|first=Michael|last=Geist|date=12 July 2005|access-date=1 February 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054036/http://www.michaelgeist.ca/2005/07/the-harry-potter-injunction/|archive-date=4 March 2016}} Richard Stallman called for a boycott and requested the publisher issue an apology.{{cite web|url=http://stallman.org/harry-potter.html|title=Don't Buy Harry Potter Books|first=Richard|last=Stallman|author-link=Richard Stallman|access-date=14 February 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302153709/http://stallman.org/harry-potter.html|archive-date=2 March 2011}} The Globe and Mail published a review from two UK-based writers in its 16 July edition and posted the Canadian writer's review on its website at 9:00 that morning.{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/much-ado-as-harry-potter-hits-the-shelves/article329358/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203213052/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/much-ado-as-harry-potter-hits-the-shelves/article329358/|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 February 2013|title=Much Ado As Harry Potter Hits the Shelves|work=The Globe and Mail|location=Toronto|date=16 July 2005|access-date=28 March 2011}}{{subscription required}} Commentary was also provided on the Raincoast website.{{cite web|title=Important Notice: Raincoast Books|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051024014959/http://www.raincoast.com/harrypotter/injunction-commentary.html|url=http://www.raincoast.com/harrypotter/injunction-commentary.html|archive-date=24 October 2005|publisher=Raincoast.com|access-date=24 April 2007}}

Style and themes

Some reviewers noted that Half-Blood Prince contained a darker tone than the previous Potter novels. The Christian Science Monitor{{'s}} reviewer Yvonne Zipp argued the first half contained a lighter tone to soften the unhappy ending. The Boston Globe reviewer Liz Rosenberg wrote, "lightness [is] slimmer than ever in this darkening series...[there is] a new charge of gloom and darkness. I felt depressed by the time I was two-thirds of the way through." She also compared the setting to Charles Dickens's depictions of London as it was "brooding, broken, gold-lit, as living a character as any other." Christopher Paolini called the darker tone "disquieting" because it was so different from the earlier books.{{cite magazine|first=Christopher|last=Paolini|author-link=Christopher Paolini|url=https://ew.com/article/2005/07/20/harry-potter-and-half-blood-prince/|title=Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=20 July 2005|access-date=12 February 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606090809/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1084406,00.html|archive-date=6 June 2009}} Liesl Schillinger, a contributor to The New York Times book review, also noted that Half-Blood Prince was "far darker" but "leavened with humor, romance and snappy dialogue." She suggested a connection to the 11 September attacks, as the later, darker novels were written after that event. David Kipen, a critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, considered the "darkness as a sign of our paranoid times" and singled out curfews and searches that were part of the tightened security at Hogwarts as resemblances to our world.{{cite web|first=David|last=Kipen|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/07/17/REVIEW.TMP|title=Book Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince|work=The San Francisco Chronicle|date=17 July 2005|access-date=23 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231063609/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2005%2F07%2F17%2FREVIEW.TMP|archive-date=31 December 2010|url-status=dead}}

Julia Keller, a critic for the Chicago Tribune, highlighted the humour found in the novel and claimed it to be the success of the Harry Potter saga. She acknowledged that "the books are dark and scary in places" but "no darkness in Half-Blood Prince...is so immense that it cannot be rescued by a snicker or a smirk." She considered that Rowling was suggesting difficult times can be worked through with imagination, hope, and humour and compared this concept to works such as Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time and Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows.

Rosenberg wrote that the two main themes of Half-Blood Prince were love and death and praised Rowling's "affirmation of their central position in human lives." She considered love to be represented in several forms: the love of parent to child, teacher to student, and the romances that developed between the main characters. Zipp noted trust and redemption to be themes promising to continue in the final book, which she thought "would add a greater layer of nuance and complexity to some characters who could sorely use it." Deepti Hajela also pointed out Harry's character development, that he was "no longer a boy wizard; he's a young man, determined to seek out and face a young man's challenges." Paolini had similar views, claiming, "the children have changed...they act like real teenagers."

Publication and reception

=Critical reception=

Liesl Schillinger of The New York Times praised the novel's various themes and suspenseful ending. However, she considered Rowling's gift "not so much for language as for characterisation and plotting."{{cite news|first=Liesl|last=Schillinger|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/31/books/review/31SCHILL.html|title='Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince': Her Dark Materials|work=The New York Times|date=31 July 2005|access-date=12 February 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503021107/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/31/books/review/31SCHILL.html|archive-date=3 May 2012}} Kirkus Reviews said it "will leave readers pleased, amused, excited, scared, infuriated, delighted, sad, surprised, thoughtful and likely wondering where Voldemort has got to, since he appears only in flashbacks." They considered Rowling's "wry wit" to turn into "outright merriment" but called the climax "tragic, but not uncomfortably shocking."{{cite web|url=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/archive/author/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-the-kirk/|title='Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince': The Kirkus Review|work=Kirkus Reviews|access-date=12 February 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713153726/http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/archive/author/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-the-kirk/|archive-date=13 July 2011}} Yvonne Zipp of The Christian Science Monitor praised the way Rowling evolved Harry into a teenager and how the plot threads found as far back as Chamber of Secrets came into play. On the other hand, she noted it "gets a little exposition-heavy in spots," and older readers may have seen the ending coming.{{cite web|first=Yvonne|last=Zipp|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2009/0719/classic-book-review-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince|title=Classic Book Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince|work=The Christian Science Monitor|date=18 July 2005|access-date=12 February 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207092036/http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2009/0719/classic-book-review-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince|archive-date=7 February 2011}}

The Boston Globe correspondent Liz Rosenberg wrote, "The book bears the mark of genius on every page" and praised the imagery and darker tone of the book, considering that the series could be crossing over from fantasy to horror.{{cite news|first=Liz|last=Rosenberg|url=https://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2005/07/18/prince_shines_amid_growing_darkness/|title='Prince' shines amid growing darkness|work=The Boston Globe|date=18 July 2005|access-date=21 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103070254/http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2005/07/18/prince_shines_amid_growing_darkness/|archive-date=3 November 2012}} The Associated Press writer Deepti Hajela praised the newfound emotional tones and ageing Harry to the point at which "younger fans may find [the series] has grown up too much."{{cite news|first=Deepti|last=Hajela|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2002384737_harryreview16.html|title=Emotional twists come with a grown-up Harry|work=The Seattle Times|agency=Associated Press|date=18 July 2005|access-date=21 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516230005/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2002384737_harryreview16.html|archive-date=16 May 2008}} Emily Green, a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, was generally positive about the book but was concerned whether young children could handle the material.{{cite web|first=Emily|last=Green|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jul-16-et-harry16-story.html|title=Harry's back, and children must be brave|work=Los Angeles Times|date=16 July 2005|access-date=23 June 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429124116/http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jul/16/entertainment/et-harry16|archive-date=29 April 2009}} Cultural critic Julia Keller of the Chicago Tribune called it the "most eloquent and substantial addition to the series thus far" and considered the key to the success of the Potter novels to be humour.{{cite web|first=Julia|last=Keller|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0507170309jul17,0,2807635.story|title=Tragic? Yes, but humor triumphs|work=Chicago Tribune|date=17 July 2005|access-date=26 June 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026095919/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0507170309jul17,0,2807635.story|archive-date=26 October 2012}}

=Awards and honours=

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince won several awards, including the 2006 British Book of the Year Award{{cite web|url=http://www.literaryawards.co.uk/british.html#past|title=Previous Winners|publisher=Literaryawards.co.uk|access-date=23 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116162110/http://www.literaryawards.co.uk/british.html#past|archive-date=16 November 2011|url-status=dead}} and the 2006 Royal Mail Award for Scottish Children's Books for ages 8–12 in its native United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/previous-winners|title=Previous Winners and Shortlisted Books|publisher=Scottish Book Trust|year=2006|access-date=23 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010065047/http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/previous-winners|archive-date=10 October 2012}} In the United States, the American Library Association listed it among its 2006 Best Books for Young Adults.{{cite web|url=http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/annotations/06bbya.cfm|title=Best Books for Young Adults|year=2006|access-date=23 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110213182527/http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/annotations/06bbya.cfm |archive-date=13 February 2011}} It won both the 2005 reader-voted Quill Awards for Best Book of the Year and Best Children's Book.{{cite web|first=Carol|last=Fitzgerald|url=http://www.bookreporter.com/oldnewsletters/n051014.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626173101/http://www.bookreporter.com/oldnewsletters/n051014.asp#article_one|archive-date=26 June 2008|title=Books Get Glamorous—And Serious|publisher=Bookreporter.com|date=14 October 2005|access-date=23 March 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bookreporter.com/features/2005-quill-awards.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424050510/http://www.bookreporter.com/features/2005-quill-awards.asp|archive-date=24 April 2008|title=2005 Quill Awards|publisher=Bookreporter.com|access-date=23 March 2011}} It also won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Seal for notable book.{{cite web|url=http://www.arthuralevinebooks.com/book.asp?bookid=93|title=Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince|publisher=Arthur A. Levine Books|access-date=23 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430143322/http://arthuralevinebooks.com/book.asp?bookid=93|archive-date=30 April 2011}}

=Sales=

File:Harry Potter lines.jpg in Newark, Delaware for the midnight release of the book.]]

Before publication, 1.4 million pre-orders were placed for Half-Blood Prince on Amazon.com, breaking the record held by the previous novel, Order of the Phoenix, with 1.3 million.{{cite news|first=Sean|last=Alfano|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/potter-sales-smash-own-record/|title=Potter Sales Smash Own Record|publisher=CBS News|date=13 July 2005|access-date=22 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113122130/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/13/print/main708768.shtml|archive-date=13 November 2010}} The initial print run for Half-Blood Prince was a record-breaking 10.8 million.{{cite press release|url=http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/node/277|title=2000–2009 – The Decade of Harry Potter Gives Kids and Adults a Reason to Love Reading|publisher=Scholastic|date=15 December 2009|access-date=27 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229054842/http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/node/277|archive-date=29 December 2010}} Within the first 24 hours after release, the book sold 9 million copies worldwide: 2 million in the UK and about 6.9 million in the US,{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna8608578|title=New Potter book topples U.S. sales records|publisher=NBC News|agency=Associated Press|date=18 July 2005|access-date=22 March 2011|archive-date=7 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707002442/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8608578/|url-status=live}} which prompted Scholastic to rush an additional 2.7 million copies into print.{{cite web|first=Carol|last=Memmott|url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2005-07-17-potter-sales_x.htm|title=Potter-mania sweeps USA's booksellers|work=USA Today|date=17 July 2005|access-date=17 June 2011}} Within the first nine weeks of publication, 11 million copies of the US edition were reported to have been sold.{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/11-million-copies-of-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-sold-in-first-nine-weeks-55175797.html|title=11 million Copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Sold in the First Nine Weeks|publisher=Scholastic|location=New York|date=21 September 2005|access-date=17 June 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014111226/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/11-million-copies-of-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-sold-in-first-nine-weeks-55175797.html|archive-date=14 October 2012}} The US audiobook, read by Jim Dale, set sales records with 165,000 sold over two days, besting the adaptation of Order of the Phoenix by twenty percent.{{cite press release|url=http://www.randomhouse.biz/media/pdfs/Harry.pdf|title=Audio Book Sales Records Set By J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince|publisher=Random House|date=18 July 2005|access-date=22 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001013048/http://www.randomhouse.biz/media/pdfs/Harry.pdf|archive-date=1 October 2011}}

Translations

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was published simultaneously in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4160000/newsid_4163800/4163813.stm|title=Potter book six web scam foiled|publisher=CBBC Newsround|date=11 January 2005|access-date=23 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523022337/http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4160000/newsid_4163800/4163813.stm|archive-date=23 May 2012}} Along with the rest of the books in the Harry Potter series, it was eventually translated into 67 languages.{{cite web |title=Potter tops 400 million sales |last=Flood |first=Alison |url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/potter-tops-400-million-sales.html |publisher=TheBookseller.com |date=17 June 2008 |access-date=12 September 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118063000/http://www.thebookseller.com/news/potter-tops-400-million-sales.html |archive-date=18 January 2012}} However, because of high security surrounding the manuscript, translators did not get to start on translating Half-Blood Prince until its English release date, and the earliest were not expected to be released until the fall of 2005.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna8715774|title=Harry Potter en Español? Not quite yet|publisher=MSNBC News|date=26 July 2005|access-date=21 June 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002161055/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/8715774/ns/today-books/t/harry-potter-en-espaol-not-quite-yet/|archive-date=2 October 2012}} In Germany, a group of "hobby translators" translated the book via the internet less than two days after release, long before German translator Klaus Fritz could translate and publish the book.{{cite news|first=Krysia|last=Diver|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/aug/01/books.harrypotter|title=Germans in a hurry for Harry|work=The Guardian|location=UK|access-date=22 March 2011|date=1 August 2005|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829164842/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/aug/01/books.harrypotter|archive-date=29 August 2013}}

Editions

File:Mary GrandPré.JPG

Since its wide hardcover release on 16 July 2005, Half-Blood Prince was released as a paperback on 23 June 2006 in the UK.{{cite book |title=Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Paperback)|isbn=0747584680|last1=Rowling|first1=J. K.|year=2006|publisher=Bloomsbury }} Two days later on 25 July, the paperback edition was released in Canada{{cite web|url=http://www.raincoast.com/blog/details/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-available-in-paperback/|title=Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Available in Paperback|publisher=Raincoast Books|date=24 July 2006|access-date=17 June 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928024345/http://www.raincoast.com/blog/details/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-available-in-paperback/|archive-date=28 September 2011}} and the US, where it had an initial print run of 2 million copies.{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jk-rowlings-phenomenal-bestseller-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-to-be-released-in-paperback-on-july-25-2006-53618192.html|title=J.K. Rowling's Phenomenal Bestseller Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince to Be Released in Paperback on July 25, 2006|publisher=Scholastic|location=New York|date=18 January 2006|access-date=17 June 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014111220/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jk-rowlings-phenomenal-bestseller-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-to-be-released-in-paperback-on-july-25-2006-53618192.html|archive-date=14 October 2012}} To celebrate the release of the American paperback edition, Scholastic held a six-week sweepstakes event in which participants in an online poll were entered to win prizes.{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scholastic-kicks-off-harry-potter-wednesdays-sweepstakes-to-win-harry-potter-ipodsr-and-copies-of-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-with-bookplates-signed-by-jk-rowling-55781287.html|title=Scholastic Kicks-Off Harry Potter 'Wednesdays' Sweepstakes to Win Harry Potter iPods(R) and Copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince With Bookplates Signed by J.K. Rowling|publisher=Scholastic|location=New York|date=23 February 2006|access-date=17 February 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014111139/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scholastic-kicks-off-harry-potter-wednesdays-sweepstakes-to-win-harry-potter-ipodsr-and-copies-of-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-with-bookplates-signed-by-jk-rowling-55781287.html|archive-date=14 October 2012}} Simultaneous to the original hardcover release was the UK adult edition that featured a new cover{{cite book|title=Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Adult Edition|isbn=074758110X|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_074758110x|url-access=registration|last1=Rowling|first1=J. K.|year=2005|publisher=Bloomsbury }} and was also released as a paperback on 23 June.{{cite book |title=Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Adult Edition (Paperback)|isbn=0747584664|last1=Rowling|first1=J. K.|year=2006|publisher=Bloomsbury }} Also released on 16 July was the Scholastic "Deluxe Edition," which featured reproductions of Mary GrandPré's artwork and had a print run of about 100,000 copies.{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scholastic-releases-exclusive-artwork-for-deluxe-edition-of-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-54361052.html|title=Scholastic Releases Exclusive Artwork for Deluxe Edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince|publisher=Scholastic|location=New York|date=11 May 2005|access-date=25 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313035011/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scholastic-releases-exclusive-artwork-for-deluxe-edition-of-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-54361052.html|archive-date=13 March 2011}} Bloomsbury later released a paperback "Special Edition" on 6 July 2009{{cite book|title=Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Special Edition (Paperback)|isbn=978-0747598466|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8W_bPAAACAAJ|last1=Rowling|first1=J. K.|year=2009|publisher=Bloomsbury |access-date=14 September 2020|archive-date=16 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316094903/https://books.google.com/books?id=8W_bPAAACAAJ|url-status=live}} and a "Signature Edition" paperback on 1 November 2010.{{cite web|first=Katie|last=Allen|url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/bloomsbury-repackages-harry-potter.html|title=Bloomsbury Repackages Harry Potter|publisher=TheBookseller.com|date=30 March 2010|access-date=25 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918144047/http://www.thebookseller.com/news/bloomsbury-repackages-harry-potter.html|archive-date=18 September 2012}}

Adaptations

= Film =

The film adaptation of the sixth book was originally scheduled to be released on 21 November 2008 but was changed to 15 July 2009.{{cite web|first=Joyce|last=Eng|url=http://movies.tvguide.com/Movie-News/Harry-Potter-Changes-1005104.aspx|title=Coming Sooner: Harry Potter Changes Release Date|work=TVGuide|date=15 April 2005|access-date=15 April 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418151643/http://movies.tvguide.com/Movie-News/Harry-Potter-Changes-1005104.aspx|archive-date=18 April 2009}}{{cite news|first=Ben|last=Child|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/aug/15/harry.potter|title=Harry Potter film delayed eight months|work=The Guardian|location=UK|date=15 August 2008|access-date=22 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228234007/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/aug/15/harry.potter|archive-date=28 December 2013}} Directed by David Yates, the screenplay was adapted by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman and David Barron.{{cite news |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/357831/Harry-Potter-and-the-Half-Blood-Prince/credits |title=Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince full production credits |access-date=22 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104090118/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/357831/Harry-Potter-and-the-Half-Blood-Prince/credits |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=The New York Times |date=2012 |archive-date=4 November 2012}} The film grossed over $934 million worldwide,{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=harrypotter6.htm|title=Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince|publisher=Box Office Mojo|access-date=31 July 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701055927/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=harrypotter6.htm|archive-date=1 July 2012}} which made it the second-highest-grossing film of 2009 worldwide{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2009&p=.htm|title=2009 Worldwide Grosses|publisher=Box Office Mojo|access-date=31 July 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209125250/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2009&p=.htm|archive-date=9 February 2010}} and the fifteenth-highest of all time.{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/|title=All-Time Worldwide Grosses|publisher=Box Office Mojo|access-date=31 July 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100530000224/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/|archive-date=30 May 2010}} Additionally, Half-Blood Prince gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography.{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/82/nominees.html |title=Nominees & Winners for the 82nd Academy Awards |work=AMPAS |publisher=AMPAS |access-date=26 April 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021171709/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/82/nominees.html |archive-date=21 October 2013}}{{cite web|first=C.S.|last=Strowbridge|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/interactive/newsStory.php?newsID=4505|title=International Details — Dusk for Ice Age|publisher=The Numbers|date=19 September 2009|access-date=2 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430053250/http://www.the-numbers.com/interactive/newsStory.php?newsID=4505|archive-date=30 April 2011}}