1. J.K. Rowling completed the manuscript of the first Harry Potter novel on an old manual typewriter while she was an unemployed single mother living on state benefit. The first Harry Potter novel was rejected by nine publishers before London’s Bloomsbury Publishing signed her on in 1996.

2..“Rowling” is pronounced like “bowling” rather than like “howling”.

3.In 2006, Rowling was named the second richest female entertainer in the world after Oprah Winfrey. Her current fortune is estimated at £560 million ($1.1 billion).

4.Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the sixth in the series, earned the Guinness Book of World Records Award for being the fastest selling book ever.

5.In the movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Dudley Dursley has no lines. He only laughs at the TV and gives two gasps of surprise.

6.In order to get to know his three lead actors, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson (Hermione) and Rupert Grint (Ron), director Alfonso Cuarón asked each of them to write an essay about themselves. Emma Watson, in true Hermione style, wrote a 16-page essay. Daniel Radcliffe wrote a simple one-page summary, and Rupert Grint never even turned his in!

7.A “wand choreographer” (actually, a dance choreographer) was used to film the duelling scenes in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He designed the style and technique of the film’s magical fights.

8..Do you know who played Dobby in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? A ball on a stick! (It was put together digitally, of course).

9.Harry Potter novels have spawned a lot of imitators and unauthorised “sequels”. Some Chinese language “sequels” even contained characters from other works such as J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings! Rowling’s lawyers forced the publishers to pay damages.

10. The Harry Potter novels have got such a cult following that fans have even started playing quidditch — Hogwarts’ magical game. Of course, the muggle version of the sport is more terrestrial than broom-borne. It’s a cross between soccer, dodgeball, and rugby. Last month Middlebury College, US, actually hosted an intercollegiate quidditch tournament (picture below).