Illustrator says goodbye to Harry Potter series

St. Paul, Minn.

July 23, 2007 3:42 PM

Book jacket — Mary GrandPre grew up in Bloomington, and was living in St. Paul when she began illustrating the U.S. version of the Harry Potter books. As such, she's had advanced knowledge about the books, including how the series finally ends.
Photo courtesy of Scholastic

The final installment of the J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series continues to break publishing records.

In the first 24 hours, 8.3 million copies were sold in the U.S. alone. That's almost 350,000 books an hour, easily making it the fastest-selling book ever.

And it also means that artwork by a Minnesota native is, suddenly, in millions of American homes.

The one that started it all — The first book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Minnesota native Mary GrandPre has illustrated all seven of the books.
Image courtesy of Scholastic

Mary GrandPre grew up in Bloomington and was living in St. Paul when she began illustrating the U.S. version of Harry Potter books. As such, she's had advanced knowledge about the books, including how the series finally ends.

MPR's Tom Crann spoke with Mary GrandPre about her experience working on the Potter books, especially now that it's over.

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