Harry Potter - A History of Magic: The Book of the Exhibition
As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the US, readers everywhere are invited to explore the extraordinary subjects of the Hogwarts curriculum - Potions & Alchemy, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and more - and examine incredible historical artifacts, items from J.K. Rowling's personal archive, and stunning original artwork from Harry Potter series artists Mary GrandPré, Jim Kay, and Brian Selznick.
Published in conjunction with the special exhibition Harry Potter: A History of Magic (coming to the New-York Historical Society after a record-breaking sold-out run at the British Library), this complete catalogue of the over 150 artifacts on display gives readers an up-close look at magical treasures from all over the world. Exclusive to the New York run are amazing artifacts from American institutions - including an original Audubon illustration, a narwhal's tusk (or is it a unicorn's horn?), an ancient Iranian astrolabe, and more - as well as never-before-seen original artwork by Mary GrandPré and early correspondence between J.K. Rowling and her American editor, Arthur Levine.
This special publication is an essential volume for Harry Potter fans, history buffs, and bibliophiles, and a fascinating exploration of the history of the magic at the heart of the Harry Potter stories.
Reviews (201)
Better than expected!
I bought this (from Book Depository UK) and A Journey Through a History of Magic (from Amazon). Both books are awesome! However, between the two, I prefer this book than the latter because it is hardbound, whereas Journey is an oversized paperback. Also, this book has more pages, illustrations and details. Of course, it cost almost thrice as much as Journey. But, believe me, it is worth the extra dollars!
Beautiful Companion to the British Library Exhibition
This beautiful volume is one of two official books published in conjunction with the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition that was held at the British Library in London between October 2017–February 2018. A collaboration between the British Library, Bloomsbury (the UK publisher of the Harry Potter series), and J.K. Rowling, the exhibition was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication of the first Harry Potter book. Featured were documents and artifacts from the development of the Harry Potter series along with real-world magical artifacts. The book, like the exhibition, includes various sections based on classes taught at Hogwarts (e.g. herbology, divination, care of magical creatures, and so forth). The chapters have images of the artifacts and documents from the exhibition, including a few pages of Harry Potter book drafts, a map of the grounds around Hogwarts, and drawings of characters from the Wizarding World (all created by Rowling)! The documents from Rowling are my favorite; I enjoy being able to see how Rowling herself envisioned Hogwarts and the characters, as the artwork featured in most Harry Potter books was created by artists working for the various book publishers. Just FYI, the number of pages devoted to the history of real-word magic and artifacts does outnumber the Harry Potter stuff. Harry Potter: A History of Magic (ISBN 9781408890769) is the larger of the two books published by Bloomsbury for the exhibition. It is hardcover, geared towards older readers, and because of its size contains more of what was shown in the exhibition. Bloomsbury's second book,
Excellent Book For HP Fans!
So I purchased this book in order to understand some of the background and history behind the gigantic, full of folklore world of HP and I wasn’t disappointed. The book is very well written with accompanying photographs, manuscripts and detailed illustrations from various artists including extremely rare pieces of art made by J.K Rowling before she became the world’s most notable children’s writer (except that HP books are pretty much for everyone regardless of age lol) The printing quality of the pages is also spot on and the colors are very good. The book is organized very well and gives you a glimpse into the magical world in separated chapters (Herbals, Divination, Dark Arts etc) So if you’re a Harry Potter fan, Don’t hesitate too much and get it for yourself - definitely worth it.
Wonderful read and Beautiful Book!
This is a wonderful book for any Harry Potter fan. The American version is paperback and made for kids with activities and less info. This one however, is hardback, with a gorgeous cover, and is full of wonderful insights and information about the world of Harry Potter. It's worth the extra money to buy! It has extra art of artifacts, essays and is worth it!
Kindle is not a good format for this book.
Kindle is not a good format for this book. If you have poor eyesight, beware this isn't an actual book with printed words, but rather copies of "maps", and "documents", which I think do not lend themselves well to the e-reader format. Exchanging it for a physical copie.
Any Harry Potter fan would find it beautiful and informational.
WOW! This book is incredible! I didn't expect this much detail, this much beauty. This book really acts a museum exhibit, showing the overlap of the Harry Potter world and the history of magic and science as we know it. The inclusions of character profiles, JK Rowling's notes and drafts, and Jim Kay and Olivia --'s drawings from the illustrated book really add the last tough. This is gorgeous and any Harry Potter fan would find it beautiful and informational. I reviewed the other History of Magic book here: https://www.amazon.com/review/R3MFND9Q8YWFX4/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8 It's more for people who enjoy Harry Potter, taking you through the Hogwarts curriculum. There's some overlap but both books are great reads, separately.
Beautiful hardcover addition to my Harry Potter library. Get it!
This is an absolutely awesome book. Make sure to buy this one...it's the hardcover British version. I saw the paperback version this weekend in a store and it is no where near as great as this version. The stories are so intriguing. I love how it threads reality, rumor, mythology etc. to show how J.K. Rowling was impacted in her story telling. Buy this book. You will not regret it. Will be buying as gifts for other Harry Potter fans.
A most beautiful, historical and magical depiction of the Wizarding World...
through the eyes of both Muggles and Wizards and Witches. This book is absolutely beautiful and amazing. As a fan of natural history, European history and magical history, this companion to, arguably, one of the best literary works of my generation, is just... - for lack of a better term - magical. I especially love all of the behind the scenes bits from Jo, and the depictions from the various illustrators. I also love that Professor Binns wasn't in charge of narrating, or I might possibly have smudged it up by falling asleep on it. That would be especially bad since, lately, I seem to be getting a great many first edition copies from Amazon, and this book was no exception. I'm even a little sad that it is actually a first edition, since it becomes rather impossible to read or even handle a book that could potentially fetch millions down the road... As Snape says, however... 'I'll do my best.'
Beautiful book
Beautifully illustrated book full of interesting facts and anecdotes about the creation and world of Harry Potter. It combines Harry’s world with the larger world of magic down through history. The magic continues with this book and the genius of JK Rowling is well represented. The British Museum celebrated the 20th year anniversary of the publication of the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. This book is a companion to that exhibition. If you couldn’t travel to London to see the exhibit for yourself this book will take you there. Just like magic! This book was loving packaged and arrrived in pristine condition from India. Transit time was faster than anticipated. Well done.
Interesting Tidbits
Colorful photos of images contained in historical books/documents. Contains references to the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts series and where the ideas may have originated. Well-made hardcover binding provides for collector's item quality protection. A must have for a true fan.
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