LONDON - A special set of Harry Potter stamps will mark the release of the final book about the hugely popular schoolboy wizard, Britain's Royal Mail said Monday.
Images from the covers of author J.K. Rowling's seven books about the fictional hero, including the forthcoming "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", will feature on 34 pence (50 euro cent, 67 cent) first class stamps.
The crests of his Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and its four houses will appear on five stamps sold as a set.
The stamps will be released on July 17, four days before the British launch of the much-anticipated book.
"There's no doubt that J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, published in dozens of languages worldwide, have made a phenomenal impact on our reading habits," said Julietta Edgar, the Royal Mail's head of special stamps.
Other authors previously recognised include Lewis Carroll, Roald Dahl, T.S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis, Beatrix Potter and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Royal Mail said it was "proud to commemorate and celebrate an illustrious British author and a true global publishing phenomenon," adding that the stamps were expected to be "highly collectible".
Pre-orders for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" have reached 250,000 in Britain, and more than a million worldwide.
Rowling has said she is poised to kill off two characters in the final instalment and many fans fear that Harry, in his last year at Hogwarts, will be one of the victims.
The Harry Potter books have sold 325 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 64 languages, as well as being converted into a successful film franchise.
The books have made Rowling an estimated one billion dollars.
The fifth movie in the series is due for release about one week before the final book is released.
05/21/2007 13:12 GMT