--- description: The script will be published on July 31 title: 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' to Be Published as Book image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac23e21670f6ad5f/69887cfaf887dc0e13e948d9/pottermore-special-rehearsal-edition-ebook-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Books](/tag/books/) ## Books Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # _Harry Potter and the Cursed Child_ Will Be Published in Book Form by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 10, 2016 2:34 PM CUT  Scholastic by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 10, 2016 2:34 PM CUT There’s good news for Harry Potter fans who won’t be able to make it to London to see the theatrical production of _Harry Potter and the Cursed Child_: the play will be published in [book form](https://www.pottermore.com/news/ww-publishing-cursed-child-script-book-announcement "undefined") immediately after its debut. The script, written by Jack Thorne and based on a story by J.K. Rowling, Thorne and John Tiffany, will be published as an eBook by [Pottermore](https://www.pottermore.com/news/ww-publishing-cursed-child-script-book-announcement "undefined"), Rowling’s digital publishing platform, and in hardcover by Scholastic in the U.S. The first printing will be a “Special Rehearsal Edition,” reflecting the script from the early part of the preview period, and a later “Definitive Collector’s Edition” will present the finalized version (as many plays make small changes during previews). > [](https://twitter.com/Scholastic/status/697423899156422656) The story picks up 19 years after the end of the original series, with Potter working at the Ministry of Magic, now a father of three. As Pottermore describes, “While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted.” The play premieres on July 30, and the book will be released July 31, which just so happens to be The Chosen One’s birthday. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4215336/jk-rowling-harry-potter-cursed-child-book/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4215336/jk-rowling-harry-potter-cursed-child-book/"},"headline":"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Will Be Published in Book Form","datePublished":"2016-02-10T14:34:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T14:56:42.450Z","description":"The script will be published on Harry's birthday","url":"https://time.com/4215336/jk-rowling-harry-potter-cursed-child-book/","keywords":["Books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac23e21670f6ad5f/69887cfaf887dc0e13e948d9/pottermore-special-rehearsal-edition-ebook-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac23e21670f6ad5f/69887cfaf887dc0e13e948d9/pottermore-special-rehearsal-edition-ebook-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Pottermore Special Rehearsal Edition eBook Cover","caption":"","creditText":"Scholastic","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4215336/jk-rowling-harry-potter-cursed-child-book/","name":"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Will Be Published in Book Form"}}]}] ```