It's hard to believe, but Harry Potter is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published on this day in 1997, and since then JK Rowling's magical stories have been captivating generations of children around the world - and, in some cases, their parents.
20 years ago today a world that I had lived in alone was suddenly open to others. It's been wonderful. Thank you.#HarryPotter20
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2017
Sarah Webb, a children's author herself, recalls a time when the books were only selling in the thousands rather than the millions.
"I had been book selling for a couple of years when the first Harry Potter book came out. The first print run was 500 copies so Bloomsbury brought JK Rowling over to promote it. We had a small event for her in Eason's, O'Connell Street, and then we went for dinner with her that evening. I think she was extremely pleased with what she'd created."
"It took about a year for the books to really take off, but after that they stayed top of the New York Times bestseller list for about two years."
Valerie Loftus of dailyedge.ie is a longtime Harry Potter fan. She first started reading the books when she was seven or eight, and she praised the way the characters and the story matured over time.
"They did grow along with the readers. When the Voldemort story really kicks in, it does get very dark."
It took some fans a while to get used to the idea of the books becoming films. Valerie admitted she was "raging" at first: "I was sceptical, but they were pretty faithful to the adaptations."
More recently, she was able to enjoy the studio tour experience.
"I recommend it to anybody who is a fan. Just to see everything is incredible. I was like a child there myself."
There is no doubt that Harry Potter has been responsible for introducing millions of children to the joys of reading. Sarah summed up the impact it has had on children's fiction, which is no longer seen as "the poor relation."
"It has changed the face of children's books forever, for the better."
