Joanne K. Rowling (pronounced rolling) hit the scene in 1997 with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (also titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone), the tale of a boy who discovers that he is a wizard. By the end of 1999 the top three slots on the New York Times list of bestsellers were occupied by the first three books in the Harry Potter series. By the 2000 release of the fourth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter had become a global pop culture phenomenon, with parents and children standing in line at bookstores waiting for the book's release, and Rowling had become one of the world's best-known authors. more info