Bloomsbury Children is publishing two new books in the popular Harry Potter franchise later in 2017. The first will be titled “Harry Potter: A History of Magic” and will focus on various subjects Hogwarts students study such as Alchemy and Potions. The second book is “Harry Potter: A Journey Through a History of Magic.”
The second one will focus on other Hogwarts subjects like Astronomy and Defense Against the Dark Arts. It will also provide background information and creation the infamous Philosopher’s Stone from the first book in the franchise, according to the British Library Shop.
Neither of the two books are novels along the lines of last year’s “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” Instead, these will be written more like an encyclopedia or fictional Hogwarts textbooks, adding to the lore of the Harry Potter universe, similar to the 2009 book “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” or the 2001 book “Quidditch Through the Ages.”
“Harry Potter: A Journey Through the History of Magic” will also feature never-before-seen sketches and manuscript pages from J.K. Rowling herself. “Harry Potter: A History of Magic” will include several of the same kind of artifacts, and also a specially commissioned essay for each subject matter.
“A History of Magic” also contains some ancient spell books, illuminated scrolls and information about several magic inventions from the Harry Potter universe like witches broomsticks. Both books have a lot of these interesting extra features. They actually sound like pretty similar books.
Both books will be released as part of a London exhibition known as Harry Potter: A History of Magic taking place on Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, and Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, according to the British Library’s official site.
