British Library

I'll always be slightly disappointed that I missed seeing the British Library's exhibition on Harry Potter, but at least they published this gloriously lush exhibition book and ensured that it was widely available to a global audience. Not that I wouldn't have paid the customs and duties (or talked nicely to my globetrotting friends), but the hefty discount available at Chapters pre-Christmas made the deal even sweeter. And boy was it worth it, since the writers and editors crammed the book show more with tonnes of wonderful content from the British Library's and other museum's collections, as well as included lots of illustrations from Jim Kay, film content, and HP exclusive from private collections. I quite enjoyed the smaller version of the exhibition book as well, but even with all of the added content in this volume that established its dominance, the real benefit was how much more academically the subject matter was treated. Instead of just getting materials meant to entertain, we also got treatises on historical medicine and herbology, scientific astronomy, and a serious look at witchcraft throughout the ages. Yet no matter how seriously the curators took the materials (archival research and historical analysis are crucially important), they also imbued the text with a sense of humour by dropping jokes intermittently throughout the text to ensure that readers can't get bored. Though why would they, when the exhibit (and book) so carefully juxtaposed the historical inspirations besides J.K. Rowling's seminal series of novels?! show less

When I ordered the illustrated version of [b:Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban|5|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)|J.K. Rowling|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499277281s/5.jpg|2402163] for the family collection, I added the illustrated version of [b:Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them|41899|Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them|Newt Scamander|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1303738520s/41899.jpg|4195128] and this book. My 11-year-old promptly show more claimed all of them, but nearly six months later, I've wrestled them away from him.

Based on the British Library exhibit, this book contains three main types of items:
*Historical information (documents, book excerpts, artwork, etc.) relating to HP (witch folklore, apothocaries, herbology, Nicholas Flamel, character name origins, etc., etc., etc.)
*Original drafts (handwritten and typed) by J.K. Rowling, along with sketches, notes, etc.
*Jim Kay's illustrations from the first three books (as those are the only ones released thus far)

I love all the historical information, but feel like the organization is a bit haphazard. My favorite surprise is that Rowling is actually a pretty sketch artist (but she has terrible handwriting). And my favorite, favorite part is an excerpt from a very early draft of Book 1 (typed, luckily) in which Hagrid visits Cornelius Fudge (who in this version is the MUGGLE prime minister) to warn him about Voldemort.

In hindsight, I wish I'd purchased the "adult" version of this book ([b:Harry Potter: A History of Magic|35613533|Harry Potter A History of Magic|British Library|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1500670913s/35613533.jpg|57209294]), if for no other reason than the cover is prettier, but it's quite a bit more expensive. I'm curious to see what additional materials are included. However, if you're a younger fan or on a budget, this is a great additon to any HP nerd's collection. show less

This is the perfect game for bibliophiles to challenge their literary acumen and test their writing skills in a social environment - for 4 to 8 players.

The game consists of a box containing one hundred double-sided book cards displaying a synopsis of a title on one side and the 'First line...' and '...Last Words' on the back. Included is a jotter-pad containing the full rules of the game, as well as a genuine British 1½d coin, for determining whether the first or last lines will be played show more (I got a vintage 1965 ha'penny coin in my box). The whole package is held within a 'book safe' style box, which fits neatly on your bookshelf.

The object of the game is to bluff the other players away from choosing the actual lines from the book in play, while attempting to guess the correct one yourself out of the list containing other player's invented texts.

e.g. Here is an easy one; but, still, harder than it seems.

J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan

a) Nana was the children's nurse.
b) All children, except one, grow up.
c) The Darlings had three children; Wendy, John, and Michael.
d) A shadow darted across the rooves of old London town.

One is the correct first line from the book. The other three, I just made up on the spot.

I like to shuffle through the cards in my spare time for fun. (Note: you probably should not play against me for money - not even that ha'penny ;)

UPDATE - You can now buy a 48 card extension pack for this game - called 'Ex Libris Addendum', with brand new authors, and now including non-fiction books as well!

Answer: b) show less

"A collection of artifacts from the British Library Exhibition in the UK: Harry Potter: A History of Magic"

A unique type of exhibit catalog that mixes fiction and fact, history and magic, this book is a wonderful way to revisit the world of Harry Potter - all seven books plus the play and the three other books - with many incredible items from the British Library and other museums mixed in.

Revisiting quotes from all the books, seeing J.K. Rowling's manuscript pages (sometimes handwritten) show more with edits, learning about all of the Hogwarts classes, and seeing pictures of real items like the Ripley Scroll and an astrolabe all contribute to the experience of this book. I also loved Jim Kay's marvelous artwork - closer to what I imagined as I read than what appeared in the Potter movies - and, best of all, Rowling's original sketches of the characters and settings.

There are also a few "magic" activities for kids, and I learned that dugongs may have been the original inspiration for sirens or mermaids. (See https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/d/dugong/) show less