Harry Potter‘s U.K. publisher Bloomsbury has dropped some news that would make Hermione Granger exceedingly pleased. To accompany the opening of an upcoming Harry Potter exhibit at the British Library—an exhibit that will blend the historical with the fictional—Bloomsbury is publishing two new tomes set in the Wizarding World. These books sound like they’ll contain the sort of in-universe history and facts that’ll make any information hungry fan drop everything and study.
Word of the new releases came to us via Mashable. The releases are titled: Harry Potter: A History of Magic – The Book of The Exhibition and Harry Potter – A Journey Through A History of Magic. The former will go through the various subjects students study at Hogwarts. That matches the structure of the exhibition at the British Library, titled Harry Potter: A History of Magic; the exhibit will feature potions, herbology, and care of magical creatures among other subjects, so the book will likely include those topics.
The British Library’s shop has more details on The Book of the Exhibition. It will include both artifacts from the British Library and other collections around the world, plus exclusive manuscripts and sketches from the Harry Potter archive.
Harry Potter – A Journey Through A History of Magic will have a broader focus and explore the history of magic, “from alchemy to unicorns, ancient witchcraft, to Hogwarts.” This title is also available to pre-order from the British Library’s shop and will include a deep dive into the past of Wizarding World through the lens of the Hogwarts curriculum. For example, you’ll learn about the history of mandrake roots and dragons and read about real-life potions and alchemists.
Author J.K. Rowling is collaborating with the British Library curators on the exhibition, so she’s at least indirectly involved with these books, but both titles have the “British Library’s curatorial team” listed as authors.
Do you plan to study these books with a magnifying glass and index cards for notes, or is that just me? Share your thoughts about these upcoming releases in the comments.
Images: Warner Bros., Tumblr
