The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter (revised edition) Paperback – Illustrated, May 6, 2008

It's fun and fascinating! David Colbert's book entertained me with delightful stories about mythical creatures, real history, ancient mythology and his own speculations on Potter's world. All too brief and lightly illustrated ( it is a very fast "read"), it left me wanting more. It also left me even more delighted with the talents of J. K. Rowling. The weaver of these wonderful tales has woven even more mythology and fact into the Potter books than I had realized. I had not know that Nicholas and Pernelle Flamel were real people (delighted that she had "made" him successful and brought him into the 20th cantury)and had forgotten from Greek mythology, who "Argus" was. While there are a few omissions (no werewolves ?), and a few intepretations I didn't quite agree with (don't we all have an opinion ?), I would recommend the book highly to any fan of the Potter series.

"The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter" is a fun and easy to read breeze through some of the myths and folklore that JK Rowling used to create her uber-popular Harry Potter world. I'd especially recommend it for kids who want an entertaining way to dig a little deeper into the novels. The comparison of Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory to the Knights of the Round Table, the history of Avada Kedavra and the "real" famous chocolate frog wizards all make you appreciate the attention to detail in Rowling's world - and some of the factoids are pretty insightful. My only complaint about the book is that, with the publication of "Order of the Phoenix" and "Half Blood Prince," it's gotten a bit outdated. I'd adore a seeing a revised version from David Colbert one of these days.

All in all, this book is an excellent guide to the allusions and mythologies that flow through the Harry Potter books.However I cannot give this tome 5 stars, because the author misses some critical (and I feel obvious) points.In discussing the death spell 'Avra Kedavra' the author compares it exclusively with the old magician's phrase 'Abra Kadabra', completely missing the similarities between Kedavra and cadaver.Also Colbert says Sirius Black is named after the Dog Star, Sirius; when it seems more likely Sirius Black was named after the legendary hunting dog of Orion (who also gave the star its name).There are a few other similar oversights (and they may be adressed in future additions) that keep this book from being the perfect guide to the world of Harry Potter.

David Colbert is an editorial director at HarperCollins Publishing Company. I think he missed his real vocation; he should have been a middle school teacher. Mr. Colbert has an amazing gift for catching and holding youngsters' (and us oldsters', too) interest through forays into scholarly erudition that actually sound like fun as he presents it. Have you ever noticed that so many of the names and terms in the Potter books have Latin bases; or wondered where the legend of the manticore originated; or wanted to know more about the influence of magic and legend on the writings of Shakespeare, Flaubert, Dickens, and John Donne, among others? It's all here, and lots more, in this fact-and-fancy-packed and fascinating book. Pottermaniacs from 7 to 97 will love it.(Although I'm still wondering about what kind of spray will work on that nasty Peeves the Poltergeist...)Judy Lind

This year I planned my son's curriculum around "a year at Hogwarts". I purchased this book as part of that curriculum and was not disappointed. This book was a wonderful addition to our "History of Magic" class. This is a must read for any Potter fans who have wondered about the mythology and history behind your favorite books. The chapters are very short (I might have liked a bit more information for myself) but just the right length to get my son interested and not bore him. I highly recommend it.

This book was a great one for those who find words and the origin of words and ideas fascinating. This book opened up the mind of J. Rowling in terms of where she found references and words and changed them to fit her story. As many of the words or word roots and ideas have corrolations in myths and legends, the words and names that the Harry Potter series uses strikes a chord with adult readers as well as young readers as they are already familiar in oue own history and vocabulary. I greatly enjoyed reading this book!

Great resource book; explanations,origins, facts, history, mythologies, literature and different cultures. I could go on and on. This book shows Rowling's immense knowledge that her writings contain. If you have a library of Potter books this one is a exceptional addition. I've also purchased it for my grandchildren. As Rowling's books have charged the young to read this book is also a great reference and leadin to many other forms of history, literature and mythology.

I have not read the entire book, but being a Harry Potter fan, I knew I had to own it! It arrived in great packaging and in a timely manner. Everything was as described!

I had briefly seen this book at a friends house and decided to buy it as a stocking filler for my 8 year old son who loves Harry Potter. Whilst interesting it is very dated and does not include all seven years of Harry Potter. The author should bring out a 2nd version with all 7 years information.

My 10 year old son is a massive Harry Potter fan and devoured this book as soon as it arrived! He's re-read it several times since then. He loved it so much, he asked if we could buy a copy for a friend's birthday.

I bought this book because a friend of mine has it, and I enjoyed reading bits of theirs, the theories behind it all is so good, you would almost think it was official. Can be read for a long period of time or in short periods, never gets old!!

Great product

Although accept product as used was a little disappointed in the state of book. It had visible drink spills all over front cover. Fortunately only need it for 1 uni assignment so will make do.