Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban* was first published on July 8, 1999 by Bloomsbury and then in the United States on September 8, 1999 by Scholastic Inc.

“I was looking forward to writing the third book from the start of the first because that's when Professor Lupin appears.”

Over 65 million copies have been sold worldwide, and 68,000 copies were sold in the UK within three days of its release, which made it the fastest-selling book in Britain of all time (1999).

*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban* was "the best writing experience I ever had. Of the five books that are published, writing Azkaban was the easiest, and in some ways I think it shows. I was in a very comfortable place when I wrote (number) three: Immediate financial worries were over, and press attention wasn't yet by any means excessive."

Ann Treneman asked Rowling if the dementors represent depression, to which Rowling replied, "Yes. That is exactly what they are. It was entirely conscious. And entirely from my own experience. Depression is the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced. It is that absence of being able to envisage that you will ever be cheerful again. The absence of hope. That very deadened feeling, which is so very different from feeling sad. Sad hurts but it's a healthy feeling. It's a necessary thing to feel. Depression is very different."

Rowling wrote the book in just one year.

“The Marauder’s Map subsequently became something of a bane to its true originator (me), because it allowed Harry a little too much freedom of information.”

*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban* was on the New York Time's best-sellers list, along with the first two books in the series, but this third book is what pushed the New York Times to create a [separate best-sellers list](https://myutilitiesaccount.cityofpaloalto.org/bdisu/public/frameset_top_html.jsp){:target="_blank"} exclusively for children's literature.

Rated PG, run time of 2h 22min, and rated a 7.9/10 on [IMDb (where you can also find the trailer and information about the cast)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0304141/){:target="_blank"}. [Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harry_potter_and_the_prisoner_of_azkaban){:target="_blank"} gave it a 90% on the Tomatometer and a 86% Audience Score. [This Bustle article](https://www.bustle.com/articles/31259-harry-potter-the-prisoner-of-azkaban-book-to-movie-differences-are-huge-its-time-we-admit){:target="_blank"} discusses some of the more apparent differences between the book and the movie, and [this article from theleakycauldron.org](http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/12/28/differences-5/){:target="_blank"} lays out all of the differences it could find. John Williams is the composer for the magical music in the film, and there are [Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert performances](https://www.harrypotterinconcert.com/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban){:target="_blank"} put on by CineConcerts of the full-length movie screening with a live orchestra.