The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter - David Colbert

This is the indispensable source guide to J.K. Rowling?s Harry Potter novels?revised and updated with information relating to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Very informative guide to the contents of Harry Potter books. I was delighted to finally get the distinction between the following: A charm is a bit of temporary magic that can be good or bad; a jinx will bring bad luck, but nothing serious; curses and hexes involve evil; and spells are serious magic that last a long time.

From alchemy to hippogriffs to veela, this guide to J. K. Rowling's novels explores the fascinating historical meanings buried within the names, characters, creatures, and places in Harry Potter's magical world. Chapter headings are intriguing questions such as "Have Witches Always Flown on Broomsticks?" "Why Would Chocolate Help After Escaping a Dementor?" and "Are Any of the Famous Witches and Wizards Real?" and tabs in the margins of each chapter guide readers to specific subjects within. From Greek, Japanese, Indian, and Egyptian mythology to Joseph Campbell's writings on the hero archetype, this book leaves no stone unturned in its look at Rowling's extensive source material.

Explores the true history, folklore, and mythology behind the magical practices, creatures, and personalities that appear in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.

Each entry is accompanied by various illustrations drawn in purple ink (this is what's been missing in Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them". A small purple tab in the margin of the first page of each chapter guides readers looking for specific subjects: Divination, Goblins, McGonogall, Owls, Voldemort, Wands, etc.

Did you know, for instance, that medieval witches gave plants the names of animals (and their parts) to make their recipes/potions even more disgusting than they actually are? It would've never crossed my mind.

I truly appreciated the discussion on the use of the Latin language (and its translations), specially that of the spells. If only my Latin subjects back in my university days were half as interesting, then I would have actually learned something. "Radicitus, comes!"

In Great condition but has small creases on back right corner, so I marked it as good condition but otherwise no other issues.

PBO5