Harry Potter - A History of Magic: The Book of the Exhibition

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!

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,

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.'

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.

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.

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!

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,

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.'

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.

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.

The book was great but I used it more as an addition to the audible book. It was great to look at the pictures while the audible describes each picture in detail and with the actual artist explaining what they were thinking when they did the art work. Much more information in the audible and really discussed the history of what many of us may consider magic back during times when humans were still discovering new continents. Does a good job of understanding the origins of when people started believing in magic. Modern medicine and investigation today would, of course, prove it all to be false. Overall, good book for Harry Potter fans and also for those that enjoy world history.

This was a really cool book that goes over some of the art and history of Harry Potter. The book seems to be high quality and there were no issues with shipping or damage to the book or pages. An awesome gift for anyone into the HP universe. 5/5 stars.

Great book, equally great writing. However, J.K. Rowling ought to cease and desist from speaking about matters that she has absolutely no right to speak about. It is time she stop bashing the Transgender community, and leave well enough alone. J.K. has become a self-entitled, privileged, and egocentric “Karen”, in a world of impressionable minds that once admired her. Enough is enough.

Having seen the exhibition by the same name at the British Library, it was useful to have the book too and served as a potent reminder of the breadth and eclecticism of JK Rowlings research into 'the dark arts'.

I decided to take a risk, even with all of the reviews saying that their books arrived damaged. This looks like someone slit the tops of the covers. The book itself is fantastic but it is very disappointing that they're so careless with the covers.

Saw the show on PBS- loved that. The book is even better. Beautiful photos, lots of information. Great book for Potter fans, magic fans, history fans or anyone who loves National Geographic/ museums/etc. An all around joy.

My daughter loves this book. She is a huge Harry Potter fan and keeps this book handy at all times.

This book is beautifully illustrated and is well worth the price I paid. We are avid Harry Potter fans, so this book will be read cover to cover by our family. Again, I can’t get over how beautiful this book is!

The book itself should be enjoyable but to recieve it out of the box with the dust cover noticeably ripped was disappointing to say the least. The book's content which is more important does look very interesting and like it presents a lot of behind the scenes info which is what I wanted.

Originally purchased this as a coffee table book and wound up reading it cover to cover. The illustrations alone are worth the purchase. But if you happen to be a Potterhead then this book is a MUST. Between the history of Rolwing's process writing the novels and the magical history within the books this is a perfect addition to your Potter collection.

The book I loved it very happy with it. The dust jacket came with some printing defects that it bother me i when I saw it but isn't a big deal for me. It came very well packed and protected it.

Really nice voluminous book. Lots of interesting stories relating to real life stuff. There are a lot of references within the text that you can further browse on the internet.

An absolutely gorgeous book that I will treasure for years to come. I love all things Harry Potter and cannot wait to read through this.

Absolutely love this! J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter notes, real history excerpts, Harry Potter lore. I wanted to keep it instead of giving it as a gift! Very large hardcover book. Beautiful artwork.

A great book to own, love all the fun information. Must have for any Harry Potter fan.

Beautiful images and info that uses Harry Potter, and J.K. Rowling's writing process to tell about magic in folklore, superstitions, different cultural practices and throughout history. All complete Potter nerds (like me) will love it.

Chapters on herbology, charms, astronomy, dark arts, potions, divination, etc. Loads of references to the HP stories, full of historic illustrations, paintings, and plates. If you are looking for the book where history and fiction meet, you have found it. Good fun!

The book was fine... great photos and very nice quality. However, this was ruined by virtue of the book cover being damaged when I received it, which is very disssapointing given the cost and that it looks pretty tacky (to put it nicely). Come on AMAZON, get it together!

Love it.. got the book and the audible.. lovely dive into all of JK Rowling’s tricks, historical perspective and the book has wonderful concept drawings. I am 60 yrs old and this just delights me!

Got this because my family ran out of harry potter books. Wasn't really too much about HP but still read the whole thing. Would reccomend

I honestly thought this was a textbook or book from the series, like Fantastic Beasts. But instead, it’s just a “making of” collection of Harry Potter and its connection to real history. That can be interesting for some fans, but the title was TOO misleading for someone who wanted more books from inside the series.

My husband is a huge Harry Potter Fan! We bought him this book for Fathers Day, he loves it! I definitely recommend this book for any Harry Potter Fan! Happy Reading! 😃

I loved this book so much. It was very interesting to read about the history of many elements of the Wizarding World, such as Divination, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The perks at J.K. Rowling's hand drawn pictures and manuscript of certain scenes was truly enlightening. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and will recommend it to anyone who loves Harry Potter even a fraction as much as I do!

The book arrived in good condition and we don't have any complaints about the quality. Unfortunately it was not what we were expecting. We were expecting a history of magic as it applies in the Harry Potter universe. The book contains pictures of historical talismans (nudity) that our daughter found disturbing. It it no more graphic than what you would find in a museum or art collection.

This was a Christmas gift for my granddaughter. It is a very nice quality book.

Amazing artwork. A must-have for any Harry Potter/History of Magic fan.

I am really enjoying this book. Great for Harry Potter fans.

Magical companion to the Harry Potter series. So many inside looks into the history of how the stories came to be, highly recommended for fans of the series!

Very entertaining. Well made! I got this as a gift for my husband and he loves it.

Please stop making Harry Potter Books. I have an addiction.

Beautiful book and illustrations! Came very protected, but wish I could have seen the tracking info

Wish I had waited a few days to order it because the next time I saw it available on Amazon, the same book was about $12.00 cheaper! $34.50 verses 22.16. It is a nice book with very interesting stories and photos/drawings.

Very engaging, and a lot of new information about where all the magic behind the scenes came from. Great illustrations as well.

We really like this. The book offers more to the story:)

This is a beautifully illustrated book.

Perfect gift that has solved Xmas hunts w/ ease

Mother in law loves it

Wonderful book for Potter heads, a must own. Purchased as a gift for my daughter and she loves it. She read it immediately, and had reread it at least 5 times since. Very informative.

Book came in perfect; no damage

I am always a fan of Harry Potter magic.

Nicely designed book with great illustrations.

This book is great, other than the fact that the cover was torn and damaged when I received it.

Its so beautiful.

I'm a big fan of the franchise so this was an exciting read for me.

I have a number of Potter books, and this one did not fail to excite me. Its wonderful to know where Rowling got the inspiration for her series. Love it!

Interesting and fun book for any Harry Potter fan.

This book is amazing. If you love Harry Potter, this book is for you. Beautiful illustrations and extremely well made hardcover book. So glad i bought this.

The book is visually stunning and full of fascinating information tying the Harry Potter world to actual history.

My son loves this.

A beautiful companion to the exhibit.

Interesting and beautifully done. As an adult HP fan this book is great

Daughter loves it

It is amazing book. It tells about the history of wizards. Any Harry Potter fan will love this book!!!! The illustrations are amazing too.

For family, perfect gift

Oldest daughter loves it

The book is great, but I bought it for a nine year old. As a teacher, I decided to hold it for a year or two for her. It will be perfect when she is eleven, if she still loves Hogwartz as much as she does now. I like it a lot!

This is a beautiful book and allows one to completely remove themselves from the muggle world. Breathe! this allows one to go to a place where things are different. I love the book and highly recommend it.

GOOOD

Beautiful book but the back cover came torn which was a big disappointment because this was supposed to be a gift .

Love, love, LOVE this book!

The book is beautiful! My Harry Potter fan loves it.

Perfect way to describe the origins of Harry Potter! The history of magic also was very interesting. Hope to make it to the exhibit

Great information. Love this book. The illustrations are wonderful. Explains with fiction and fact.

Fascinating

Great illustrations. Deeply Informative. I am learning much. Highly recommend, but get the hardcover. Paperbound falls apart.

Good

Filling my collection

A bit of real-world history mixed in with the magic behind the harry potter books.

gave as a gift to my Granddaughter. She loved it.

Bought for my mom and she LOVES it

Beautiful, good quality book. With bright colorful pictures.

My 9 year old son loves this book ; I bought extra copy for his friend as birthday gift

I saw this magical exhibit in NYC & had to get my family the book as photos in the exhibit were fotbidden!

Not just Harry Potter...lots of history and folklore too! Very interesting read.

The whole book is full of amazing pictures and tons of info. Love it

l love the pictures and the book in Harry Potter history of magic.its a great book to have.

Perfect for the die hard Potter fan

Bought this as a gift for my wife and she loves it. It's a solid build, pages look crisp and vibrant. Highly recommend.

Gorgeous book

The gift recipient said she loved this book.

My daughter loved this book! Beautifully made with beautiful photos. I would definitely recommend this one for Harry Potter fans. 🐍 🦁 🦅 🦡

Arrived just as described in nice box.

Purchased and had mailed to a friend. Arrived later than expected, but was a hit when it did get there!

Beautiful book

Excellent and beautiful book

Beautiful, high quality book.

Loved the book! More so a book for the adult HP fan.

It’s a book

Love!

She loves it

Love it. So much of history anf authors thoughts. Love it soooo much❤

Not so much about Harry Potter as it is about real-world "magic."

Excellent product, exactly as described.

The delivery was on time. The book is in perfect conditions, no scratches or something like that.

Given as gift

Well constructed book

The book is beautifully done. A Potterhead must have.

Beautiful work. Loved reading about some of the inspiration for Harry Potter as well as general history of magic.

Very interesting, the art work is amazing!!

Very nice

love it

Quick and New

Arrived perfectly. Definetly prefered over the paperback version.

So much fun to see JK Rowling’s original work printed in this book, napkin drawings and seeing into her creative mind! Love reading about how this world was created!

Great book in the history of magic

Awesome book, my Harry Potter friend loved it

very poorly adapted to kindle paperwhite, not easy to read

Very good

Amazing book. Wonderful quality but it was delivered too late. Anyway it can be negligible. Thanks a lot

It was a gift

Beautiful book!!!!

Amazing pictures and a lot of info for any Harry Potter fan! Jacket was a little crinkled but shipping happens. 😂

First saw this book at the Warner Brothers Studio in London! There is a paperback version in Barnes and Noble but it is slightly different. I love this version better! It has more tidbits of information with a great cover. Recommend for anyone looking to add to their Harry Potter book collection!

As expected, the book is beautiful! The quality of the hardcover and pages is great. However, I received my order with the dustjacket bent in places, which is a bit fastidious after spending so much on the book.

Granddaughter loves this book... It was a birthday gift!!

Very nice book,

Beautiful book! I bought this for my fiance's birthday and he loves it (so do I). I'm glad someone in the reviews recommended buying this one for more of an adult book because it's perfect.

The book is amazing even for a Potter fan like myself. Well worth the money in this edition.

I bought this as a graduation present 4 a big Harry Potter fan. I want to keep it for myself. It is absolutely beautiful, filled with background information and pictures. There are sketches done by JK Rowling before the book was ever published. I would definitely buy this again.

It was a gift for my sister and so far she hasn't complained about it, so it must be good!

Not quite what I was expecting. There is a little direct relation with HP. I expected some real pictures or text that are supposed to be in the student book of Hogwarts students.

If I had realized that this was a documentary on magic I may have been happier. I thought this would be more like a Hogwarts library book so it was a bit disappointing. Natalie Dormer sounds great and there is definitely interesting content but there is one gentleman that is virtually inaudible. His voice is so soft making it close to impossible to hear him. I would NOT RECOMMEND THE AUDIBLE version for this reason and for the reason of the illustrations. There is constant talk of objects and drawings that you can see in the hardcover book but obviously cannot see in the Audible version. Since the hardcover book is only a few dollars more, don't waste your money on the audible format.

It’s time for vacation roadtripping yet again, and that means new audiobooks to try! My family and I are on a non-fiction kick this trip, and we’ve started with HARRY POTTER’S A HISTORY OF MAGIC as narrated by Natalie Dormer. This one is a bit different than we expected. I saw it described as an audio documentary, and that really is pretty damned accurate. This isn’t a book as such, but almost a radio version of something you’d see on the History Channel, complete with discussions/interviews with everyone from both narrators of the US and UK versions of the Harry Potter audiobooks to illustrators to experts and historians in various fields related to the study of myths and cultures relating back to magic, specifically the magic that we relate to Harry Potter, which were on display for the Harry Potter History of Magic exhibit. And it’s really fascinating as hell, honestly. I’m one of those people that loves going to museums, and that’s what this audiobook reminds me of – the recordings you can rent at a museum for a mini-guided tour of the exhibits. And bonus, the main narrator was Natalie Dormer – I mean, talk about keeping my attention! The only downside to this to me was that I definitely could tell that different people had been recorded on different microphones/sound systems. There was one historian in particular who almost seemed to be whispering the whole time, but their “Ss” were extremely harsh. It meant we were playing the volume catch up game fairly often trying to figure out a balance between Natalie’s voice and that guy’s in particular. But otherwise, definitely a listen I enjoyed and one I recommend to fans of the Harry Potter books and/or fans of non-fiction!

This book is wonderful to listen to on my daily commute. I love that it's narrated by Natalie Dormer and has snippets of interviews with a variety of experts. The only thing that irritates me to no end is the volume leveling is non-existent? Maybe it's there and it's just subtle. I don't know. What I do know is that every time the manuscript expert speaks, I have to turn the volume way up just to hear what he's saying. Then Natalie comes back and she's blasting out my eardrums with that wonderful voice of hers. Anyway, I'm excited to listen to this book on my drive, I've just gotten used to having my finger on the volume button.

They've updated the title of this, now, to make it clearer what it actually is. My review, below, predates that. So, yeah...this isn't really at all what I expected. In some ways, that's fine. In others...well.... What I thought this would be was a more or less fantasy look at the history of the magical community presented in the Potterverse stories, complete with goblin wars and giant battles. It's not that. What it is is a presentation, based on a British museum expedition, of the real world background of all things magical. Look, this is fine, but a bit dry. I was ready for it to be done well before it was but unwilling to stop listening. Others may enjoy this more than I did, though, so if this sounds good to you, go for it.

I was really excited to check this book out when it was announced, and Natalie Dormer is a fantastic narrator, so I was eager to read it at the start. What I didn't realize was how much the book is tied in to the museum exhibit, to the point where the audiobook references actual pieces from the exhibit and places to visit while you're in the exhibit, which we obviously can't see or experience in an audio format. I'm not sure if there are photos or other media in the physical book, but it was very frustrating to listen to an audio conversation about an object I couldn't see myself. It read more like a guided tour of a museum I wasn't actually visiting than a nonfiction work analyzing Rowling's influences when writing the books. It was interesting at times, but ultimately felt like a promotional piece for the museum exhibit rather than a standalone work meant to expand the Harry Potter universe.

It's a great listen if you're interested 8n a real world history of magic. It is by no means a history of magic in the harry potter universe. I really enjoyed listening to it. However, there is this one person who is used to talk about certain topics and her voice is so soft and breathy you can barely hear her! I had to turn the volume all the way up just to understand her. Other than that it's great, and Natalie Dormer does an amazing job. Only 4 stars because of that one issue I had and the mislead of it being about the harry potter Wizarding world.

For anyone who loved Harry Potter this is a book to read and own. It opens your eyes to the magic and joy of Hogwarts, Muggles, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Hagrid, Dumbledore and everyone else in the stories. What a joy to read.

Everything included in this book can be found somewhere else. It contains some interesting tidbits but overall it's remarkably dull and I'm glad that I was able to view it on kindle unlimited instead of spending money on buying a copy.

Y'all...this book is amazing!! It really goes in depth the history of potions and herbology, into J.K Rowling's thought process behind Harry Potter, how she got the books started, some drawings of her ideas of how her characters should look, to drafts she drew of Hogwarts....it's just amazing!! I had to make myself stop reading tonight so I can go to bed lol. I definitely recommend for a more realistic dive into the history of Harry Potter and magic and potions....it's just great!!

This audiobook is really interesting and I'm a huge Harry Potter fan so I'm enjoying it. But you should know that this book is not A History of Magic textbook like Quidditch through the Ages, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, or The Tales of Beedle the Bard. There is no new Harry Potter material in this book. It's basically just full of interesting facts and stories about the publication of the Harry Potter Books. In short, it's an audiobook about a book. It's not new material from the world of Harry Potter. That's what I thought it would be when I bought it so that's why it's only 4 stars. Don't get confused.

I would have enjoyed listening to this book except for the annoyance of one speaker, Julian the librarian. I feel bad if he has MS or ALS or some other horrible neurological disease that prevents him from speaking above a breathy monotone, or enunciating his words clearly. But I suspect it is an affectation that forced me to turn the volume up when he spoke, in an attempt to understand him, thus treating myself to his sibilant hissing as he bit every “s”. How did the producers allow this to go unedited?

Very informative book on how JK Rowling wrote the books and got inspirations from history, scientists, etc to come up with her characters and stories.

After reading some of the high reviews they are for the book which appears to be a good book. This is AWFUL on audio though. Do not buy the audio book, it is boring and there is no substance to it.

So much to learn & see in this fantastical book on fantastical items throughout our histories -- some real & some surreal! Enjoy learning more of our world history while simultaneously learning that of Harry Potter's in new, unenvision ways!

I just found and read this book, and let me just say that its a amazing quick read. This book is filled with J.K.Rowling's original book ideas and art for the first four books. But the only reason why I give this ebook four stars is because it doesn't really have a lot of stuff on the HP books them selves. But over all a good read filled with stuff on J.K.R and the "history" of the WW. :¬) (Highly recomend for ages 9 and up, because of the amount of pictures )

An exasperatingly detailed history of how a novel gets published interwoven with academics forcing connections between their fields of study and the lore of Harry Potter. Honestly, just bland and disappointing.

If you're a Harry Potter fan then you will like this book. It has great illustrations and parts of the books that were cut out. Very cool

If you love the world of wizardry, and would like a closer look at it all, this history is great. I like the e-book edition because I can enlarge the print easier. It's a helpful guide to the history, and a !lovely edition to any wizard's library . Enjoy!

Not what I thought. It was going to be. Not interested in her fan art or thought process as she wrote the books.

Absolutely brilliant. A delicious confection made up of one part world of Harry Potter, one part behind-the-scenes imaginative works of J.K. Rowling, and one part reference to the real-life historical books of magic, potions, herbalogy, and alchemy -- all in one glorious book of color illustrations.

More random history than Harry Potter. What HP stuff there is is awesome, but the rest is sort of hit or miss and some of it is a stretch. The illustrations are very nice and som eof the original stuff done by JK is nice to see. otherwise? Eh, it's just ok. Nothing fabulous.

Really good way to tie JK Rowlings world into our own magical history. I learned a lot of cool historical facts I would have never known about. If you line history and you loved the wizarding world then you'll enjoy this book. I listened to it and I believe that made it all that more enjoyable

Why was an audio book even made? This is just a bunch of people describing drawings and painting for several hours. Its repetitive and boring. I very much regret buying it.

I preordered due to the title of the book, and then five minutes in I realized it wasn't what I had thought. It's an actual documentary book--not a fictional textbook like the others. I should have done a bit more research, but the one star is for the misleading title. It's also boring to listen to, so I returned it.

I loved it! Interesting background on the book. I recommend this to all Harry Potter fans. The artwork is beautiful.

This was bought as a gift. she loved it! it is a great book

Wasn’t really what I expected based off of the title, but it was still a fun and interesting item to listen to. And, let’s be honest, anything is better than whatever’s playing on the radio.

Natalie dormers voice is great for this

This audiobook is sooooooooo magical!!! Natalie Dormer does a beautiful job narrating and it transports you right back to hogwarts!

This was an amazing audiobook! It was like listening to a documentary and really well done. It really gave me a whole new appreciation of all the many many minute details that JK Rowling put into Harry Potter. Definitely recommend!

As with the rest it’s winderfuk and what you’d expect.

The book is wonderful and has lots of colorful pictures and good Harry Potter information

Loved this book! Shows the junction of JKRowling’s creative mind and education with historical beliefs in magic and its relationship to science

Not what I expected but interesting nevertheless. I enjoyed the in-depth behind the scenes of Rowling's writing. The history behind the writing.

Took longer than expected but the seller kept me updated. Only other problem is the book cover jacket came ripped. The book is very interesting to read.

This book has lots of information in it. Tons of illustrations as well!

Thought that it was going to go into more but not bad. I love Harry potter I would recommend this book.

Love it!

Not what i thought it epiphany be, i expected it to be what Hermione read on the Harry Potter series

It’s a very good gift to give to Potterhead! Won’t regret it.

Perfect Condition

Love everything Harry Potter

If you love Harry Potter, you’ll really like this. It’s all about real history and how JKR blended into the magical world. Makes a nice coffee table book.

I loved reading this book and learning about the different things in magic

Gift

Hello everyone!! Today I am reviewing Harry Potter :A History of magic First of all its a must buy!!! I have each and every harry potter book and i must say its a grab for potterheads!! Its worth every penny... It has a great look with amazing pictures and information... It is like our big encyclopedia... The paper quality is the best.. Glossy and smooth... Its a collective book and i think every fan must keep it as a memorial of harry potter's 20th anniversary.. I have included the pictures with my review! Just go for it everyone!! Plz click on the helpful button if you like my review :)

To commemorate 20 years of Harry Potter, the British Library hosted a Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition and this book is essentially a behind the scenes look at some of the manuscripts, artefacts and history of the magical or mythical creatures or items featured within Harry Potter. The collection is divided into sections, such as “Charms”, “Herbology” or “Magical Creatures” and each of the sections delves slightly deeper into the mythology or folklore surrounding some of these themes. I particularly enjoyed the artwork included by Jim Kay, who illustrated the special hardback editions of (at present) the first three books; the artwork is really beautiful, authentic and captures the intentions of Rowling’s characters perfectly – there are even a few specific clues within the character portraits if you look close enough. A number of original drawings of Rowling’s are also included, which showcase how she initially envisaged her characters would look – complete with buckteeth for Hermione and freckles for Ron. It was also interesting to see how some of these drawings differed from the eventual product, for example a secondary character named Gary was later, we know, named Dean. These might seem like trivial changes, but the progression into the published works is something readers wouldn’t usually be so privy to. Original manuscripts are also included to similar effect. The exhibitions showcased in here were likely truly impressive in person, but in book format they were often superficial. Very little information was actually provided in the book, choosing to present very limited text and large images or extracted quotes from the books relevant to the item on show. I was expecting a more in-depth look at some of the mythology or lore surrounding some well-known Harry Potter related creatures or objects, but sadly for the most part this consisted of a brief paragraph at best. In all honesty, this felt like a useful marketing tool for the British Library to demonstrate the items they have for the public to view rather than a genuinely detailed look at any of them. Whilst I can appreciate this might be a nice addition for a fan, particularly one who wanted to attend the exhibition and perhaps couldn’t, it’s far too superficial and contains a lot of information (including the aforementioned artwork and manuscripts by Rowling) already available on the Pottermore website. Incidentally, the font was really tiny too even for perfectly good eyesight. After finishing this book I’m left feeling a little bit underwhelmed but mostly disappointed that my expectations of what this collection might teach me about the world of Harry Potter and the history of its magic were far too high.

This is a beautiful book which shows the depths and magnitude of J.K. Rowling's imagination which seems to know no bounds. This book not only looks at the history of magic but is accompanied by J.K. Rowling's writing journey of Harry Potter. I wish I had been to see the exhibition (no excuse as it is an 1hr train journey away😔) but Google have created this online version which goes brilliantly with the book. A must for all Harry Potter fans!

Amazing view into the magical mind and world of Joanne K. Rowling. Richly illustrated and quite (veeery) heavy book - with lots of pages. Not to compare it with the Order of the Phoenix, but almost. A must-have if you are a fan, or simply just a gift for the interested - it is filled with facts from the muggle world (my world, sadly).

My wife expressed interest in this book when we saw so I purchased for her birthday. I am not sure what I expected but it seems very in depth with regarding the magic and spells of Harry Potter. We've not seen the exhibition which this book appears to be a supplement to. If you are seriously in to HP then I would say a great book. It is a fairly large book with loads of pages so I would say great value for money! For me, someone who enjoys the films for what they are I was a bit confused about the contents of the book - there is so much in there that I've never even seen in all the films so overall so 4 stars from me.

Como dice el título, este libro es una maravilla audiovisual, una verdadera obra de arte, en la cual se ha cuidado hasta el más mínimo detalle. Posee nueve capítulos (herbología, defensa contra las artes oscuras, hechizos...) más un prólogo y, a diferencia del otro volumen ("Harry Potter. A Journey Through A History of Magic"), este incluye antes de cada capítulo una introducción de personas involucradas con la saga y la exposición. A lo largo de las páginas se pueden encontrar dibujos y notas originales de J.K. Rowling. Yo compré la versión en inglés y desconozco si existe su traducción al castellano. [Si te resultó interesante mi comentario me ayudarías mucho votando "sí" en la pregunta de abajo sobre si te resultó útil mi opinión, gracias]

Bought as a gift for a family member who is Harry Potter mad, and he loved it. Very good quality print. Is what it is, and he loved it so recommend for anyone who loves Harry Potter.

I visited the exhibition itself and wanted a reminder of that beautiful set up. Honestly one of the most thought through exhibitions I've been to. If you do not have time to go see it in person, this book is a perfect solution; It contains everything that was on display apart from the interactive activities and objects.

A birthday present for my now 15 year old daughter, who has a minor Harry Potter obsession. She absolutely loves it. Has gone through it repeatedly from front to back, showing the whole family (and anyone else who stands still long enough). I am also highly impressed, it is well presented. A definite repeat read. Delivery via prime so next day as expected.

5star + We attended the exhibition last week ( can’t describe the wonder of it). This book reflect it and was on a generous discount when I ordered 1 for us and another for a gift.

This book among the other animated releases of the Harry Potter series are fantastic in detail and this particular book gives great insights into the eyes of J.K at the time of writing. I haven't sat and read the book but flicking through it looks very worth the price.

Bought this for my mum as a Christmas present alongside some other Harry Potter related products. Was much cheaper on Amazon than instore so was very good value for money, since this a beasty book and she loved reading every page of it! Would highly recommend for any adult harry potter fan, especially if they were like my own mum who wasn't lucky enough to get a spot at the British Library's exhibition last year.

A very interesting book, ideal for any Harry Potter fan. Lovely illustrations and full of facts, original drawings and the mythology behind some of the ideas. Nice large coffee table size.

I bought this book after watching the documentary on TV, it is so informative for any Harry fan and I loved seeing JK’s notes alongside diagrams and sketches from the Harry Potter world. A must for anyone who wants to delve into the history behind where the magic came from.

As an adult and a Harry Potter fan I really enjoyed this. It was very interesting, easy to read and lovely pictures, illustrations etc. A brilliant book for my collection.