New Harry Potter books continue to weave the magic
Twenty years on, the boy wizard is still popular enough to inspire an exhibtion

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Two new Harry Potter books are set to be released in October to coincide with a new exhibition about JK Rowling's fantasy series.
Publisher Bloomsbury announced the publication of the books to tie in with the upcoming British Library exhibition Harry Potter: A History of Magic, which runs from 20 October to the end of February 2018.
The books explore the magical world of Harry Potter, but are not new novels or stories about the original characters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Harry Potter: A History of Magic, the book of the exhibition, will outline the curriculum at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including herbology, astronomy and care of magical creatures, while Harry Potter: A Journey Through the History of Magic will present a more historical account of Harry Potter's world, delving into the stories behind spells, magical creatures, and wizards and witches.
The exhibition will include previously unseen sketches and pages from Rowling's manuscripts, illustrations from Jim Kay and artefacts from the library archives.
Together with the books, it represents the ever-growing realm of Potterdom experiences, feeding a seemingly unquenchable demand for the fictional world Rowling created more than 20 years ago.
Earlier this week, the Financial Times reported on how publishing group Bloomsbury is reaping the revival of the Harry Potter franchise.
Quarterly revenues were up 19 per cent in the three months to March year-on-year. The Harry Potter series still ranks among the publisher’s bestsellers, alongside Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology, despite the last novel being published in 2007.
It continues to flourish thanks to a series of spin-off books such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, films based on those books and the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play currently in London's West End.
Writers have long predicted the demise of the Potter phenomenon. Tanya Gold, in The Guardian in 2011, dubbed the release of the last film in the main series the "beginning of an end".
Nevertheless, Pottermania remains a global phenomenon, as Rosa Silverman in the Daily Telegraph reports. The boy wizard has cast his spell over swathes of the world's readers, young and old, working "the kind of magic most publishers could only dream of".
If, as Silverman argues, the boy wizard has inspired "a devotion among fans last seen around the time of Jesus Christ", it may be some time before Potterdom wanes.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
'Accepting defeat is Rishi Sunak's only hope of victory'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week Staff Published
-
Royal family website attacked by Russian hackers
Speed Read Pro-Kremlin group claim responsibility just two weeks after King Charles condemns invasion of Ukraine
By The Week Staff Published
-
Larry the cat: how chief mouser 'won the nation's hearts'
Why Everyone's Talking About Downing Street says resident pet is 'healthy' despite reports of contingency plans for his death
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Top 10 best debut novels of all time
feature Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone took top spot in a poll of British literary lovers
By The Week Staff Published
-
Judy Blume: the US tween writer finally hitting the big screen
Why Everyone’s Talking About The 85-year-old author is set for Hollywood acclaim at last with film adaptation of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet Published
-
Hogwarts Legacy and other boycott backlashes
Under the Radar Controversial Harry Potter video game is topping sales charts despite the J.K. Rowling controversy
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Hogwarts Legacy: to buy or to boycott?
Talking Point A new Harry Potter video game is facing a backlash from trans activists over J.K. Rowling’s views
By Asya Likhtman Published
-
Sport on TV guide: Christmas 2022 and New Year listings
Speed Read Enjoy a feast of sporting action with football, darts, rugby union, racing, NFL and NBA
By Mike Starling Published
-
House of the Dragon: what to expect from the Game of Thrones prequel
Speed Read Ten-part series, set 200 years before GoT, will show the incestuous decline of Targaryen
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
One in 20 young Americans identify as trans or non-binary
Speed Read New research suggests that 44% of US adults know someone who is transgender
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Turner Prize 2022: a ‘vintage’ shortlist?
Speed Read All four artists look towards ‘growth, revival and reinvention’ in their work
By The Week Staff Last updated