J.K. Rowling

This is it, apparently. With the seventh and final installment in the series (list price: $34.95), the Harry Potter gravy train finally lurches to a halt. That, of course, means this will be a bittersweet occasion for J.K. Rowling’s legion of fans—adults and whippersnappers alike—and perhaps even more so for the publishing industry, which has been stumbling along and inhaling the powerful Potter fumes for nearly ten years. The phenomenon continues to fascinate on any number of levels, even for those who’ve never cracked one of the books or quite managed to understand what the fuss is all about. Surely the magical lad is all grown up by now, so might some of us hold out hope that “the Deathly Hallows” refers to Potter’s long-overdue, drug-fueled Beat odyssey? Probably not.