Britain to issue Harry Potter stamps to mark end of book series

This postage might not get letters delivered faster, but Britain's Royal Mail predicts fans will find its series of Harry Potter stamps magical.

Photo: Britain to issue Harry Potter stamps to mark end of book series

The post office will issue a series of seven stamps on July 17 depicting the covers of each of J.K. Rowling's books about the boy wizard.

Millions of the stamps will be issued just before the series' final volume, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," goes on sale July 21. The commemorative stamps are part of the post office's tradition of celebrating "social themes and important occasions central to our way of life," said Julietta Edgar, who is in charge of special stamps at Royal Mail.

"There's no doubt that J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, published in dozens of languages worldwide, have made a phenomenal impact on our reading habits," she said.

Rowling's fantasy series has sold more than 325 million copies worldwide. She has said two major characters will die in the final book.