In honor of the extended 20-year anniversary of the Harry Potter books – which released in 1997 in the U.K. and Imaginary Sex With A Woman Who Does Anything1998 in the U.S. – the books are getting another new set of covers. This time, artist Brian Selznick will design jackets for the seven books.

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“I’m a big Harry Potterfan and it is an incredible honor to illustrate J.K. Rowling’s iconic series,” Selznick said in a statement, per Entertainment Weekly. “I am thrilled to play a part in this exciting 20th anniversary celebration and look forward to meeting Harry Potter fans and readers across the country.”

The new editions will launch in July 2018, with the special boxed set available in September. Scholastic, the books' U.S. publisher, has planned multiple events throughout the year to celebrate the anniversary.

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“Brian Selznick, with his unique and cinematic approach, is a visionary and the perfect artist to illustrate these new Harry Pottereditions, for readers of all ages,” said Ellie Berger, President of Scholastic Trade. “As the longtime U.S. publisher of Harry Potter, we’ve seen firsthand the impact of the series over the past twenty years — from the early support and enthusiasm among booksellers and librarians, to kids discovering the books for the first time, and to families and friends lining up for midnight parties. On this milestone anniversary, we are excited to join the legions of fans as we celebrate this cultural phenomenon, and look forward to introducing Harry Potter to a new generation of readers.”

Beyond their iconic U.K. and U.S. covers, the Harry Potter books have had multiple special international covers, as well as the old U.K. adult covers. The U.K. paperbacks got a makeover to celebrate the 20-year anniversary, while the U.S. editions got new designs by Kazu Kibuishi several years ago.

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The official U.S. anniversary of Harry Potter is Sept. 1, 2018.


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