Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s publishing company, Pottermore Publishing, is releasing four new eBooks that will explore the real-world history of magic and folklore that inspired the Wizarding World. The series is called Harry Potter: A Journey Through…, and is an adaptation of an audiobook called Harry Potter: The History of Magic, which in turn was inspired by a British Library exhibition, which was accompanied by the official exhibition books A History of Magic and A Journey Through the History of Magic.
Rowling has been gradually expanding the Wizarding World since the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final novel in the original series, in 2007. The Pottermore website is full of supplementary reading materials, and there have been major additions to canon in the form of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and the movie prequel series Fantastic Beasts. Rather than adding to the history of the Wizarding World, however, these eBooks will instead look at the history of magic in our own world.
The eBooks were announced on Pottermore, and are described as “four bitesize reads, each themed by Hogwarts lessons, and will take you back in time once again to learn about the traditional folklore and magic at the heart of the Harry Potter stories.” The eBooks will also feature new line drawings by artist Rohan Daniel Eason, as well as notes, manuscript pages, and sketches from A History of Magic. Harry Potter: A Journey Through Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts and Harry Potter: A Journey Through Potions and Herbology will be released on June 27, and the other two eBook shorts, Harry Potter: A Journey Through Divination and Astronomy and Harry Potter: A Journey Through Care of Magical Creatures, will be released later in the year.
Rowling has come under fire for continually adding to and changing Harry Potter canon, with some fans arguing that the original seven books would have been better off left alone. However, so long as there’s a hungry fanbase waiting for more Wizarding World material to dig into, Pottermore and Warner Bros. will always be ready to deliver.
In any case, the History of Magic collection isn’t so much an addition to Harry Potter canon as it is an exploration of where the stories came from, and the eBooks should make for an interesting read. For those who want a little more detail, the History of Magic book and audiobook are available now.
More: Harry Potter And The Cursed Child Movie Updates: Will It Happen?
Source: Pottermore
