Deluxe Edition artwork and details revealed; bookstores plan “Grand Hallows Ball” in-store event for book’s release.

Scholastic has released the artwork for the deluxe edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in the popular series by J.K. Rowling.

The 816-page deluxe edition features wraparound cover art by Mary GrandPre, the illustrator of all U.S. editions of the Harry Potter books, and will be published simultaneously with the trade edition on July 21, 2007.

The deluxe edition is available now for pre-order for $39 (that’s $26 less than the suggested retail price).

The deluxe edition, which will have a print run of 100,000 copies, will also include the following:

• never-before-seen full-color frontispiece art on special paper.
• “Illustration Showcase” insert that features near-scale reproductions of GrandPre’s chapter openers.
• an exclusive bonus black-and-white illustration that appears at the end of the “Illustration Showcase”.
• a custom-designed foil stamped slipcase that contains a full-cloth case book that has been blind-stamped on the front and back cover with foil stamping on the spine.
• full-color endpapers featuring jacket art from the trade edition.

Borders and Waldenbooks host in-store Grand Hallows Ball event for book’s midnight release.

In related news, Borders and Waldenbooks will host free Grand Hallows Ball events the evening of Friday, July 20 starting at 9:30pm in stores across the country.

Attendees of the Ball, who will receive original commemorative souvenirs, are welcomed to come dressed in magical attire or muggle finery for an evening of enchanting music, imaginative costumes, fun activities, and fabulous prizes.

All Borders and Waldenbooks stores will be outfitted in exclusively designed decor, created especially for the Ball. Each store will introduce a headmistress or headmaster of ceremonies to host the evening’s schedule of events and encourage guests to participate in — among many other activities — The Potter spelling bee, the Great Snape Debate, and the crowning of a king and queen of the Ball. In addition, a wide range of prizes will be given out throughout the evening, including a chance to win the first place in line at midnight, when the book goes on sale.