In Canada and the rest of the English-speaking world, except the U.S., British artist Jason Cockcroft is providing the cover illustration for the children's edition of the book, Raincoast Books announced Wednesday.
Cockcroft drew the cover art for the fifth and sixth Potter books: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." This time out, his illustration is a colourful and dramatic drawing of the series' three main characters, Harry, Ron and Hermione, now looking every inch the teenagers they are.
The cover design for the adult edition is from a photograph by another Brit, Michael Wildsmith, who has photographed all the adult-edition "Harry Potter" jackets.
In the United States, Scholastic Inc. announced that illustrator Mary GrandPre has designed the cover for the book. Her illustration features a dramatic gold and orange sky as a teenaged boy in glasses reaches upward.
"The structures around Harry show evident destruction and in the shadows behind him, we see outlines of other people," David Saylor, Scholastic's art director, said in a statement.
"For the first time, the cover is a wraparound. On the back cover spidery hands are outstretched toward Harry. Only when the book is opened does one see a powerful image of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, his glowing red eyes peering out from his hood."
J.K. Rowling's fantasy series has sold more than 325 million copies worldwide. "Deathly Hallows" has an announced first printing of 12 million in the United States alone.
